Liquor retail sale dips at vends, goes up 8 times in wholesale

A week preceding the panchayat elections, the counter sale of liquor, both IMFL and country made, witnessed a sharp decline. But the sale of liquor in wholesale shot up eight to 10 times in this area.

Total sale — counter and wholesale — of liquor has witnessed an overall 50 per cent rise compared to the figures of the last month, said liquor contractors in this area.

Preferring anonymity, these liquor contractors give the reason for decline in sale of liquor at counters and rise in wholesale purchase. Most of the candidates in panchayat elections were serving liquor among their voters. So the footfall of these daily liquor consumers declined at liquor vends. But the candidates were purchasing liquor in wholesale from liquor contractors at highly discounted rate to serve it among their voters.

The rural bodies election kicked off an early festival season for the liquor enthusiastic as they were being served booze free of cost by candidates. This “service” of liquor reached its peak a week before election day.

The daily counter sale of the liquor vend at Panjgrain village of Faridkot has registered 75 per cent decline in the past week. The sale has fallen from Rs 1.3 lakh to about Rs 40,000. However, there was manifold increase in the wholesale.

Selling liquor in wholesale is a loss-making proposition for contractors. While a ‘desi daru’ 700 ml bottle is sold at Rs 250 at the counter, a carton containing 12 bottles of ‘desi daru’ is sold for Rs 1,600 to Rs 1,800 in wholesale, said a liquor contractor of Moga area.

A senior official in the Excise and Taxation Department said they have not received any complaint regarding the sale of liquor in wholesale or retail.