Srinagar: Amidst a call by nearly all political parties to stop the sale of liquor in Jammu and Kashmir, chief minister Omar Abdullah has issued a rebuttal against allegations that the state government has actually increased the number of vends in the state.
Abdullah stated on ‘X’ that the number of liquor vends continues to remain the same as it was in 2023-24. Only re-auctioning was done to allot vends to the highest bidders.
The state government is actually in a dilemma. While the liquor-ban campaign has been spearheaded by PDP chief and Opposition leader Mehbooba Mufti, it has received support from Abdullah’s own colleagues in the National Conference (NC). The BJP has also not opposed this demand.
Trouble is that excise revenue is expected to touch Rs 2,000 crore in 2024-25. No government wants to let go of revenue of that kind. Moreover, a blanket ban on liquor in a state that is heavily dependent on tourism is likely to have detrimental effect, at a time when terror-related violence in the state has driven away a significant percentage of international tourists.
Added to that is the fear of bootlegging. Prohibition in states like Gujarat and Bihar have only resulted in the proliferation of organised bootlegging syndicates. Liquor is readily available in these two states to those who are ready to pay enough. Corrupt officials get a share of the proceeds.
Even as Abdullah was attempting a balancing act to get out of the mess, allegations started to surface on social media that he has actually increased the number of vends. This forced him to issue a statement on ‘X’.
According to his statement, 305 liquor vends were put to e-auction on February 15, as per the state’s excise policy. After the process, 271 vends were allotted to H-1 bidders. Re-auction for the remaining 34 vends will be completed on March 17.
“The total number of liquor shops has remained unchanged. While 291 of them are in Jammu, the remaining 14 are in Kashmir. There has been no increase in their number since 2023-24,” Abdullah has clarified.
