Srinagar, March 12: Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah’s office has strongly refuted claims circulating on social media and certain news platforms about the opening of new liquor vends in the Union Territory.
The Chief Minister’s office in a post on X, as per news agency KINS stated, “No new liquor vends are being advertised or allotted by the government. TV channels and news portals should immediately stop peddling this lie.”
“As per the J&K Excise Policy 2025-26, notified through SO 38 dated February 15, 2025, a total of 305 liquor vends (wine shops) were put up for e-auction. Out of these, 271 vends were successfully allotted through an e-auction conducted by J&K Bank, while 34 locations are set for re-auction on 07, 03 2025. The number of liquor vends remains unchanged at 305, the same as in FY 2023-24, with 291 in Jammu and 14 in Kashmir.
The Excise Department has clarified that all details regarding the policy and vend locations are available on their official website (https://jkexcise.nic.in) and urged the public to disregard misleading information.
The government has reaffirmed that the number of liquor vends has not increased and termed the viral claims as false and baseless”.
