VIJAYAWADA: In the kind of buoyancy that officials of the Excise Department have not really expected, bidders for licences for 314 liquor shops in the district quoted an amount that was 23 per cent higher than the upset price fixed by the Government.

In response to tenders called for 335 shops in Machilipatnam and Vijayawada units in Krishna district, the officials did not receive any tenders for 14 shops. Tenders received for seven shops were rejected, as the price quoted was lower than the upset price fixed by the Government.

According to Deputy Commissioner D. Esuprasad, the Government had fixed an upset price of Rs.60.56 crores for the 314 shops for which the licences had been finalised. In response, it received an amount of Rs.74.87 crores, which is an effective increase of Rs.14.31 crores or 23.63 per cent.

In VMC limits

In the Vijayawada Municipal Corporation limits, the actual amount received was almost 30 per cent higher than the upset price. In the municipal division 21, the successful bidder quoted 120 per cent higher than the upset price for the shop located in the busy commercial hub of Governorpet. While the Government fixed Rs.34.49 lakhs for a shop here, the bidder quoted Rs.76 lakhs.

Another shop in the same division too received a good response, with the successful bidder quoting Rs.72 lakhs against an upset price of Rs.40 lakhs.

Nominal rise

In the VMC limits, nominal increase was noticed in case of a couple of shops in second division, which includes areas abutting the ring road, with the bidders quoting just a couple of thousands of rupees more than the upset price.

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