In the past two years, the Gujarat government has granted licenses to 28 hotels in the Ahmedabad and Gandhinagar districts to sell liquor, as reported to the state legislature on Monday.
Out of these 28 establishments, the majority—20 hotels—are situated in Ahmedabad city, while four others are located in the state capital, Gandhinagar. This information was provided in a written response to a question posed by Congress MLA Imran Khedawala during the Question Hour.
Additionally, two hotels from the broader Ahmedabad district and two from the Gandhinagar district also received permission to sell alcohol. However, the names of these hotels were not included in the government’s response. In 2023, the government permitted employees and authorized visitors of GIFT City—within Gandhinagar district—to consume alcohol in designated “wine and dine” areas of licensed hotels, restaurants, and clubs. It’s important to note that Gujarat remains a dry state, prohibiting unauthorized alcohol consumption.
The state’s revenue from taxes on liquor sales at these licensed outlets has seen a significant increase of 35% over the last two years. Between February 2023 and January 2024, the state earned ₹14.45 crore from liquor sales, which rose to ₹19.53 crore for the period from February 2024 to January 2025, according to the government’s reply.
According to the Prohibition and Excise Department of Gujarat, alcohol can only be purchased from authorized vendors, which include approximately 77 designated locations and hotels listed on the government website. These establishments are permitted to sell both domestic and international alcohol brands.
