Liquor shop lottery held in Greater Noida for 501 shops

The Uttar Pradesh excise department on Thursday successfully conducted an e-lottery in Greater Noida for the allocation of 501 liquor shops for the financial year 2025-26 (Phase 1), officials said. At least 18,229 applicants vied for liquor shop licences in one of Uttar Pradesh’s most competitive liquor markets, at the event held at the district collectorate in Surajpur at 4pm, officials added.

According to excise department data, certain areas in Gautam Budh Nagar saw an exceptionally high number of applications, indicating strong market viability and revenue potential. These include Naya Gaon where 202 applications were received, Devla with 108 applications and Yakubpur with 100 applications, for country liquor shops. For composite liquor shops (selling both country and foreign liquor), Roza Yakubpur received 289 applications, Sakipur received 210 applications while Sector Alpha in Greater Noida received 202.

These locations emerged as high-demand zones, reflecting strong business potential for liquor sales, officials said. Excise officials said that high-density areas, a strong customer base, and accessibility to key commercial and labour hubs contribute to the increased demand.

Overall, 234 country liquor shops attracted 6,300 applications, while 239 composite liquor shops saw 11,218 applications. Additionally, 27 model shops received 689 applications, and the lone bhang (cannabis) shop recorded 22 applications, officials said.

“The district saw the highest number of applications per shop across Uttar Pradesh, underscoring its status as a prime liquor trade market in the state. The entire process was conducted in a structured and transparent manner to ensure every applicant had an equal opportunity. We used a two-step verification process—simulation followed by randomization,” said Subodh Kumar, Gautam Budh Nagar excise official.

During the simulation, three individuals provided seed numbers to verify that the allocation process was unbiased. This was followed by randomisation to finalize the results, all conducted in front of applicants to maintain transparency.

“The excise department has generated significant revenue, contributing to the state’s development. Successful applicants must deposit the full licence fee within three days, failing which their selection will be cancelled,” said Kumar.

District magistrate, Manish Kumar Verma, who chaired the e-lottery committee, said, “We ensured that the entire process was conducted with transparency and strict supervision. The presence of senior officials, including the principal secretary (tourism), excise department officials, and police ensured a fair process. The lottery was conducted in front of the applicants, eliminating any chance of manipulation.”

The second phase of the e-lottery will be conducted on March 25, 2025, for shops that remain unallocated after the first phase. Any shops still left unassigned after this will move to the third phase on April 8, 2025.

“Since licence fee payments are sometimes delayed, multiple phases are conducted to ensure all allocations are completed. If any shops remain unallotted after the third phase, the state government will decide on conducting additional phases,” said Kumar.