Wine contractors force hotels to close bars

There is an age old saying that “In wine lies the truth.” In the case of hoteliers of Gurdaspur, the truth could never have been so bitter. The reality is that some renowned hotels are closing their bars because the wine contractors and their henchmen have made their life difficult. Romesh Mahajan, president of the Gurdaspur District Hotel Association, claims that hotels are allowed to purchase their quota of liquor only from designated contractors. It is here where the game begins. Contractors supply liquor at their own whims and fancies. Sometimes, they also jack up the rates which, in turn, translate into a big headache for the hoteliers. “There are 12 hotels in the city, of which four have licences to operate bars. All these four now face closure following an assortment of reasons. The state government had enhanced the licence renewal fee from Rs 2 lakh per annum to Rs 3 lakh per annum. We also have to pay electricity charges and salaries of professional barmen. If customers won’t visit us, from where do we cover our expenses? On the other hand, dozens of “aahatas” (temporary wine shops) have come up in the city. The wine contractors have a share in such shops. With the state government forcing us to sell liquor at exorbitant prices, “Bacchus” lovers automatically prefer to go to “aahatas”. We are thinking of surrendering our licences as business has become unviable. We have approached the Excise officials several times but nobody seems to be paying heed to us. The contractor’s men force their way into their hotels every now and then to check which whiskey we are selling. This is an illegal practice,” he said. The November 5 incident, when some hooligans entered the premises of RK Hotel on the Gurdaspur-Pathankot road and created havoc, is on everybody’s lips. Some youngsters of the Institute of Hotel Management and Catering were roughed up. According to rules, only the Excise and police officials can enter any hotel to check violations. Not the henchmen of contractors. The management of the hotel brought this incident to the notice of the Excise Inspector but little was done. If these establishments are fast running out to run their bars, the “aahata” owners are doing a roaring business. .

Blood donation camp after two years

After losing two years due to Covid, blood donation camps are back in the town. Raman Bahl, AAP leader and chairman of the Punjab Health Systems Corporation (PHSC), makes it a point to organise such a camp every year in memory of his father and ex-minister Khushal Bahl. The last two editions were hit by the virus. One such camp was held in the city on Friday at the Gurdaspur Public School. Doctors from the Gurdaspur Civil Hospital supervised the proceeding. As many as 68 units of blood were donated. Raman Bahl said: “One should be benevolent and should always try to reach out to the distressed sections of society. Service to others is the rent you pay for your room here on Earth. It is my family’s tradition to remember the family patriarch every year by donating blood and also by acting as a facilitator for others to donate. One good thing about donation is that once you do it, you get addicted to it because it brings great joy and happiness to everyone. It is during such events that I remember Albert Einstein’s famous quote: “The worth of a man resides in what he gives and not in what the man is capable of receiving.”

(Contributed by Ravi Dhaliwal)