MP auctions single liquor shops to mop up bids before April 1

Bhopal: In another measure to auction the remaining liquor shops across the state, the excise department has decided to accept bids for only one shop of liquor for auction in addition to groups of shops. Earlier, the excise department had decided to reduce the reserve prices or base prices of shops yet not auctioned by 10 percent. In the initial rounds of bidding, the reserve price of shops was 20 percent more than than the bidding price received last year but at several places including Bhopal and Jabalpur, majority of shops remained unauctioned, making the excise department to modify terms & conditions of the bidding to ensure that all the liquor shops across the state are auctioned before the beginning of the new financial year on April 1.Among the districts where a large number of liquor shops have not been auctioned are Bhopal, Jabalpur, Ratlam, Katni, Shajapur, Alirajpur, Damoh, Jhabua and Neemuch. In all, 60 percent of the total liquor shops across the state have been auctioned so far even as the bidding process entered the eighth round on Wednesday. The state government targets to mop up more than Rs 19,000 from liquor shop auctions this financial year.