Now with the lesser number of the existing owners applying for renewals this year, the administration would receive applications from the new vend owners willing to set up their liquor vends in the city.

With the number of vend applicants coming down in the third year of liberal excise policy of the UT, (the liberal policy incidentally replaced the auction of vends as prevalent earlier), the officials in the administration call it a simple response to the demand and supply equation of liquor in the city.

“This is because there is an inherent balance in the excise policy. Since the monopoly of the liquor vends is broken in UT now, it is simply the best vend in terms of quality which would have business and survive,” says Inderjit Singh Sandhu, the additional excise and taxation commissioner, UT.

The excise policy has kept a cap on the maximum number of liquor vends to be opened in the city at 215, beyond which the policy would be renewed.