Shifted from NH, liquor vends again set up in restricted areas

Gurdeep Singh Mann

Tribune News Service

Bathinda, January 10

The removal of liquor vends from national highways following the High Court orders in the state has stirred up a hornet's nest as vends removed from NH are now being set up illegally near residential areas and educational institutions in violation of the excise policy.

Earlier, the Punjab and Haryana High Court had ordered removal of all liquor vends from the national highways on a petition moved by Harman Singh Sidhu, President of Chandigarh-based NGO ArriveSAFE.

Sidhu said he too had been receiving numerous phone calls, e-mails and letters from people all over the state over vends near residential areas.

"Besides Kurali, Amritsar and Jalandhar, I got maximum calls from Malwa district in this regard. There are numerous places where the Excise Department has allowed shifting of vend which are quite close to educational institutes, hospitals and residential places," Sidhu said. Students of Girls' College in Bathinda too were up in arms against a liquor vend close to their college, which was removed after college authorities held several protests. Sidhu said: "It appears that the government is hell-bent on minting money from the sale of liquor vends."

"The only purpose of getting vends removed from the NH is to reduce drunken driving and consequent fatal and serious road mishaps," he added. Anurag Verma, Excise and Taxation Commisioner (ETC), Punjab, said he was aware of such problems and had assigned the task of looking into these complaints to excise officials concerned.

Bathinda MLA and Chief Parliamentary Secretary (Excise and Taxation) Sarup Chand Singla has also admitted to receiving such complaints. He,said:"This is a state policy and I have little role to play, but even then I will ask top officials to remove illegal vends."