HC notice to UT, Punjab, Haryana

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, November 20

The Punjab and Haryana High Court today put the states of Punjab and Haryana, and the UT, Chandigarh, on notice on a petition claiming, among other things, that liquor vends were operating on farm land without change of land use (CLU) certificate.

The assertion came on a petition filed by Tinku Wines, through counsel Mohan Jain. The petitioner submitted that liquor vends were functioning in Chandigarh, Punjab and Haryana on agricultural/non-commercial land for which CLU for commercial purposes had not been taken.

In the petition placed before the Bench of Justice AK Mittal and Justice Amit Rawal, Tinku Wines had challenged a letter dated October 29, issued by the UT Excise Department, ordering the petitioner to shift the liquor vend from the present location to an alternative location in Dhanas village by October 31. Directions were also sought to be issued to the UT Administration and other respondents to close down similarly situated liquor vends. In an attempt to substantiate the claim, Jain appended to the petition photographs of vends operating on agricultural land in the UT and Punjab.

The Bench was told that the petitioner was a partnership firm having liquor licence for vend at Dhanas for 2017-18. It started functioning but a protest erupted over its location, prompting the petitioner to request the UT Excise Department to change the location. In August, the petitioner was given permission to shift the vend from Milk Colony, Dhanas, to the Marble Market near Dhanas bus stand due to disturbances. In its reply to a petition challenging the location, the Chandigarh Administration said it was given to the petitioner as per the Excise Policy for 2017-18 and there was no violation of any kind whatsoever. But the petitioner was surprised to find the October 29 letter.