No new liquor vends allotted by my Govt: CM

Jammu, Mar 12: Chief Minister Omar Abdullah Wednesday spelt out that no new liquor vends were being advertised or allotted by his government in J&K.

The clarification came as a rejoinder to the reports carried by certain TV channels and news portals that his “government launched bids for 83 new liquor shops in J&K, the auction of which would commence from April 1, 2025.”

Taking to microblogging site ‘X’, CM Omar described such news reports as “fake and baseless” and asked such TV channels and news portals to “immediately stop peddling this lie.”

“As per J&K Excise Policy for the year 2025-26 notified vide SO 38 dated February 15, 2025, 305 several vends (wine shops) were put to e-auction on February 15, 2025, and after the culmination of the bidding process, 271 vends got allotted through the e-auction process (conducted by J&K Bank) to the successful H1 bidders and rest of 34 locations are being put to re-auction through Public Notice issued on March 7, 2025, and bidding process (to be conducted by J&K Bank) shall be completed on March 17, 2025, for these 34 vends,” the Chief Minister posted on his official ‘X’ handle.

He said, “It is relevant to mention herein that the number of JKEL-2 vends (wine shops) remained unchanged i.e., 305, since FY 2023-24 and there is no increase in any vend either in Jammu or in Kashmir. The break-up of vends (wine shops): Jammu 291 and Kashmir 14.”

CM Omar pointed out that all details regarding the Excise Policy along with the location of the vends etc., were available on the official website of the Excise Department i.e., http://jkexcise.nic.in.

“Therefore, the news being circulated in social media regarding the increase in the number of vends (wine shops) in Jammu and Kashmir is fake and baseless,” he posted, adding, "TV channels and news portals should immediately stop peddling this lie."