No new liquor vends are being advertised or allotted by J&K govt: CM Omar Abdullah

Jammu, March 12 (PTI) Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah on Wednesday said that TV channels and news portals should stop spreading misinformation about new liquor vends being allotted by the government in the region.

“There is no change in the 305 shops being auctioned in 2025-26, with no addition of any new shop for bidding.”

“No new liquor vends are being advertised or allotted by my government. TV channels and news portals should immediately stop peddling this lie,” the office of the chief minister said on X.

Several news portals reported that, amid demands for a liquor ban in Jammu and Kashmir, the Omar Abdullah government had launched bids for new vends at 83 locations across the Union Territory, including four districts in the Kashmir Valley.

However, government officials clarified that there has been no change in the number of shops being auctioned for 2025-26, with no addition of any new shop. A total of 305 shops have been put up for auction annually since 2023.

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.

The breakdown of these vends includes 291 in the Jammu region and 14 in the Kashmir Valley.