Srinagar: Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah on Tuesday dismissed reports claiming that his government was allotting new liquor vends in the Union Territory.
Taking to X, he wrote, “NO NEW LIQUOR VENDS ARE BEING ADVERTISED OR ALLOTTED BY MY GOVERNMENT. TV channels & news portals should immediately stop peddling this lie.”
His statement comes amid controversy over the JK government’s move to invite bids for 83 new liquor shops, including in four districts of the Kashmir Valley.
Earlier, it was reported that the Excise Policy 2025-26 proposed over 200 new shops across ten districts in Jammu and four in Kashmir.
The policy, set to take effect from April 1, 2025, to March 31, 2026, allows off-premises retail sales through e-auction.
The report states that fourteen liquor shops are planned in Kashmir, including in Srinagar, Sonamarg, Pahalgam, Gulmarg, Baramulla, Uri, and Kupwara. In Srinagar, outlets are expected in seven municipal wards.
The move has sparked opposition from political parties and civil society groups. The PDP, which has been vocal against liquor sales, led the demand for a ban, with MLA Mir Muhammad Fayaz calling for complete prohibition.
NC legislator Ahsan Sheikh and Independent MLA Sheikh Khursheed Ahmad also pushed for similar restrictions in the assembly. PDP leader Iltija Mufti launched a signature campaign and protests against the government’s liquor policy.
The BJP has also seen leaders backing the ban, including former Deputy CM Nirmal Singh and Waqf Board Chairperson. Traders in Lal Chowk recently put up posters urging tourists to avoid liquor, though police later removed them.
