Gurgaon: People living along Golf Course Road,
sectors 38, 47, 52 and nearby areas, may now have to drive the extra mile to get a bottle of liquor.
Huda has decided not to disburse land for setting up liquor vends in these areas. The development authority has written to the
excise department, informing them about their decision and asking them not to give licenses for liquor vends in sectors 29, 38, 39, 43, 47, 52 and 54. The excise department, though, has other ideas.
In Gurgaon, the excise department gives licenses to set up liquor vends, while Huda provides the land. After the authority provides a list of selected sites in its sectors, the excise department auctions licenses for these.
Estate officer 2, Vivek Kalia, said it was decided at a recent Huda meeting that in some sectors, instead of giving the land to liquor vends, they will utilise it for other purposes.
“These sites are located at prime locations and can be utilised for better commercial purposes,” said Kalia, adding it will also generate more revenue.
In its letter to the excise department, Huda also mentioned that liquor vends should not be allowed on Huda land in Sector 29, as the local market is fully developed. Similarly, liquor vend won’t be allowed in Sector 38, with the Medanta Medicity Hospital located nearby. Other places where liquor vends will not be allowed include near Cyber Park in Sector 39, near Global Foyer in Sector 43, near Bakhtawar Chowk in Sector 47 and near the Kanhai traffic signal in Sector 52. “We are re-planning these sites for some other purpose,” said Kalia. Currently, Huda charges 6% circle rate as annual rent from liquor vends, but most liquor vends in the city have reportedly not paid their dues for the past several years.
The excise department though said they only received the letter after they had issued licenses in these areas. “The letter was received on the day the department issued the licensing tender. It was too late, so we asked Huda to reverse its policy,” said a senior excise official.
Sources in the excise department said Huda has no jurisdiction in deciding where to set up liquor vends. Huda’s job is limited to providing land for them. “If they refuse to provide land, we’ll have to buy land from private owners in these areas for the liquor vends,” he added.
