LUDHIANA: There is good news for
booze lovers of the city. The
prices of liquor are set to go down this year, thanks to the breaking of monopoly of single liquor contractors who controlled the trade last year in the district and sold liquor at skyrocketing prices.
This year, a draw was held on March 27 in which 670 vends were auctioned under 65 groups in Ludhiana city area, and four groups of contractors bagged the contracts for running them. In the draw of lots, the Malhotra group bagged 23 groups of liquor vends, Bajaj group got 19 groups, Raju Sharma group got 18 groups, and the Syndicate (which controlled the entire
liquor trade last year) managed to capture 5 groups only. Due to all the vends being distributed among four liquor contractors, competition is likely to grow stiff between all of them for achieving good sales. As a result, price cuts will soon follow.
Bajaj group has cleared that this year, prices will be slashed. Speaking to TOI, group owner Charanjit Bajaj said: “We are in the process of opening all our vends allotted to us in the draw. Considering the demand of consumers, we have decided to keep
liquor prices across all categories low in our vends as compared to the previous year. I cannot comment on the exact percentage or the price slab in which rates will be reduced, but they will be fixed as permitted under the minimum and maximum selling price allowed under the excise policy.”
However, some liquor contractors are still in a wait-and-watch mode, and are trying last-minute efforts to convince all contractors to strike a compromise and fix the same rates of liquor to avoid competition and disputes, but chances of reaching a consensus seem unlikely. Speaking to TOI, a representative of the Malhotra group said: “Reducing prices in our trade often leads to disputes and fights among rival contractors. Therefore, we are trying to reach a compromise with all contractors and fix similar prices so that there is no competition and conflicts.”
