Chandigarh, June 13 -- The excise and taxation department has allotted all 97 retail liquor vends in the city, for the year 2026-27, marking the first complete allotment in the past decade. In all, bids to the tune of Rs.563.8 crore were received, 24.4% more than the reserve price of Rs.453 crore. The current performance marks a turnaround from last year's excise cycle, which was marred by multiple challenges. Several liquor vends had remained unsold despite repeated auction rounds, while some allotments were later surrendered or cancelled. The UT had also struggled to meet its revenue targets. The policy had come under scrutiny amid allegations of cartelisation and was challenged before the Punjab and Haryana high court. Instances of bidders failing to deposit security amounts further disrupted the system, forcing re-auctions and delaying revenue realisation. Competition from neighbouring states, particularly Punjab, also impacted pricing and bidder interest. This year, until May 31, the department collected Rs.199.8 crore as revenue, meeting nearly 20% of the annual target of Rs.1,000 crore within the first two months. Authorities attributed the strong performance to a combination of improved compliance, stricter enforcement, and efficient revenue realisation mechanisms....