Chandigarh is waking up to metro culture as far as liquor trade is concerned. In fact, the excise policy 2009-10 announced by the Chandigarh Administration today came up with the new concept of the establishment of modern liquor shops in air-conditioned environment, including in shopping malls, in keeping with the changing social trends, besides extending the bar timings to 1 a.m.

The modern shops will be introduced with a lower licence fee of Rs 20 lakh per annum, subject to the condition that such shops will be air-conditioned and be allowed in the SCO/SCFs or shopping malls only. These modern shops will be allowed to have “tasting sessions” as seen in liquor shops abroad and other metropolitan cities of India.

However, the licence fee for the conventional retail sale liquor shops have been retained at Rs 25 lakh per annum. The liquor vends functioning in the existing temporary structures have been disincentivised as the licence fee for such vends has been raised from Rs 25 lakh to Rs 30 lakh to phase them out in future.

The administration has increased the minimum retail prices for country liquor and IMFL by Rs 5 to Rs 20 per bottle. Similarly, increase in minimum retail price for beer has been pegged at Rs 5 indicating an increase in the liquor rates–a bad news for the tipplers.

In order to promote low alcoholic drinks, the licence fee on the wholesale licence of wine has been reduced from Rs 5,000 per brand to Rs 2,000 per brand and sale of domestic wines has been allowed from licensed departmental stores.

Similarly, keeping in view the changing social trends with regard to increase in the number of visitors to bars/restaurants, the bar closure timings have been further relaxed to 1 am instead of midnight at present. The private possession limits have been kept unchanged. The private possession limits are 18 bottles of IMFL/imported foreign liquor, 36 bottles of beer, 18 bottles of wine and 2 bottles of country liquor, a press note said. There has been no increase in the rate of excise duty on liquor. However, in order to ensure balance in the regional trade and to curb the outflow of liquor to neighboring states, the rate of VAT on liquor has been increased from 4 per cent to 12.5 per cent, bringing it on a par with Punjab and Himachal Pradesh.

The licence fee of L-3/L-4/L-5 (bar licences) of 5-star hotels has been reduced from Rs 5 lakh per annum to Rs 2.25 lakh per annum and the licence fee of other bar licences kept unchanged.