Jammu: Chief Minister Omar Abdullah Wednesday said no new liquor vends were being allotted by his government and only earlier allotted ones were auctioned.
The chief minister’s remarks came after reports that the government has launched bids for 83 new liquor shops in J&K.
“NO NEW LIQUOR VENDS ARE BEING ADVERTISED OR ALLOTED BY MY GOVERNMENT. TV channels & news portals should immediately stop peddling this lie,” the chief minister said on X.
In a written statement, the CM’s office said as per the J&K Excise Policy for 2025-26 dated February 15, 305 vends (Wine Shops) were put to e-auction, and after the culmination of the bidding process, 271 vends got allotted to the successful H1 bidders.
The remaining 34 locations are being put up for re-auction through a public notice issued on March 7.
The bidding process (to be conducted by the J&K Bank) will be completed on March 17 for these 34 vends, the statement said.
The government said the number of JKEL-2 vends remained unchanged, i.e. 305, from FY 2023-24. There are 291 such vends in Jammu and 14 in Kashmir, it said.
“Therefore, the news being circulated in social media regarding increase in the number of vends (Wine Shops) in Jammu & Kashmir is fake/baseless,” the statement added.
According to the J&K Excise Policy for 2025-26, announced on February 15 this year, 305 vends (wine shops) were put up for e-auction. After the bidding process, 271 vends were allotted to successful H1 bidders, while the remaining 34 locations are being re-auctioned through a public notice issued on March 7. The bidding process for these 34 vends will conclude on March 17.
“It is important to note that the number of wine shops has remained unchanged at 305 since the financial year 2023-24, with no increase in either Jammu or Kashmir,” it said.
