Srinagar: Despite calls for a liquor ban in Jammu and Kashmir, the government has invited bids for 83 new liquor shops across the Union Territory, including in four districts of the Kashmir valley.

As per the Excise Policy 2025-26, the finance department has proposed over 200 new shops in ten districts of Jammu and four in Kashmir, ETV Bharat reported. The policy, effective from April 1, 2025, to March 31, 2026, allows off-premises retail sale licenses through e-auction.

The report said fourteen new shops are planned in the Valley, including Srinagar city, tourist destinations like Sonamarg, Pahalgam, and Gulmarg, as well as Baramulla, Uri, and Kupwara. In Srinagar, the outlets will be in seven municipal wards.

The PDP initiated the demand for a ban, with MLA Mir Muhammad Fayaz seeking a complete prohibition. NC legislator Ahsan Sheikh and Independent MLA Sheikh Khursheed Ahmad also introduced similar bills in the assembly.

PDP leader Iltija Mufti launched a signature campaign and protests against liquor sales.BJP leaders, including former deputy CM Nirmal Singh and Waqf Board Chairperson, have also backed the ban. Traders in Lal Chowk put up posters urging tourists to avoid liquor, though police later removed them.