Meghnagar (Madhya Pradesh): The Excise Department in Jhabua district is facing a major revenue shortfall in liquor shop auctions for the 2026-27 financial year, with the government collecting only 53% of its total target even nine days into the new financial year.
The district has 33 licensed liquor shops, for which the government had set a revenue target of Rs 345 crore. So far, Rs 180 crore has been secured from 24 shops.
The remaining nine shops are yet to be auctioned and the government still needs around Rs 165 crore from them to meet the target. Liquor traders are demanding these nine shops at just RS 49 crore, which is nearly 70% below the guideline value. If contractors succeed, the government could face a revenue loss of over Rs 70 crore from Jhabua alone.
The uncontracted shops in areas such as Meghnagar, Jhabua-01, Kalyanpura and Para are currently being run by department employees as a formality. These shops are not stocking the liquor and beer that customers demand. In the past week, these outlets earned less than Rs four lakh, while private contractors elsewhere in the district recorded business of over Rs one crore.
Jhabua borders Gujarat, where liquor is banned, making it a high-revenue district for the state every year. The current situation has raised serious questions. District Excise Officer Basanti Bhuria did not respond to calls seeking comment.
[Story by Rajendra Singh Songara]
