Liquor served in city hotels despite Apex Court orders

Sukhmeet Bhasin

Tribune News Service

Bathinda, May 21

Despite the Supreme Court orders, hoteliers in the vicinity of 500 metres on the highway in the city are serving liquor openly at private parties in their hotels.

The police and officials of the Excise Department have failed to check the consumption of liquor in the open, especially outside non-vegetarian food joints in the city, courtesy lack of coordination.

In the evening, one can notice people consuming liquor in the open near Rose Garden Chowk, 100-Feet Road, opposite Three Cinemas, Ghorewala Chowk, bus stand, railway station, ITI Chowk and other places in the city.

Though the police have registered two cases of drinking in the open at two non-vegetarian joints recently, they have failed to keep a check on it.

Satish Arora, president, Punjab Hotel Association, said, “The culture of drinking in cars has badly hit the hotels and bars in the city. It is unfortunate that the bars and hotels that paid huge amounts as license fee are facing losses, whereas liquor consumption in the open is going on unabated.”

Arora said the state government had verbally allowed the serving of liquor in hotels and restaurants, but the notification in this regard was yet to be issued.

Since the SC imposed a ban on the sale of liquor near the highways, the hotel association is running from pillar to post to ‘save’ the hotel industry.

Its representatives have met various ministers in the state as well, but it has failed to get help from any section.