No less than 3500 bars in Punjab are expected to face closure following the Supreme Court’s blanket ban on serving of liquor within 500 metres of the State and national highways.
Even as the State Excise and Taxation Department is figuring out the number of hotels, restaurants serving liquor and bars coming under Apex Court’s ruling, the Punjab Hotel Association on Sunday claimed that the decision would affect more than 3500 bars across the State.
“The district excise and taxation commissioners have been directed to come up within a day the number of hotels, bars and restaurants which are within 500 metres of the highways in the state,” said a senior Punjab Government official adding that 1,300 to 1,400 liquor vends have already been closed and dislocated.
The official added, “We have not suffered any revenue loss on account of dislocation of liquor vends.”
The Apex Court, on Friday, had passed a judgment banning serving or sale of liquor at liquor vends, restaurants and bars located on the state and national highways and also those which are located within a radius of 500 metres from the highways.
In tizzy, the Punjab Hotel Association on Sunday held its emergency meeting at Bathinda to chalk out the future course of action and measure the after-effects of the SC ruling.
Upset over the development, the Association members held that the move would ruin the state’s hotel industry which is already reeling under severe losses due to taxes and other bills.
Other than the Punjab Government, the Association has also sought relief from the Apex Court maintaining that they should be given time and compensation to shift their properties.
At the same time, it maintained that in case the hotel owners were not given relief to this effect, the Association may challenge the Apex Court’s judgement.
Association president Suresh Arora informed that the hotel owners have submitted bar fees till March 30, and the Supreme Court’s sudden decision to implement its decision in a day and without any notice has led to a huge loss.
One of the Association’s member added that even as the ban was imposed to control drunken driving on highways which is a noble cause, “the Court should have considered the case of hotels and bars’ owners as these would not be able to sustain now…some time limits should have been set to implement the decision”.
The hotel, bars and restaurant owners demanded that they must be given time of at least two years to shift their hotels, bars and restaurants away. They also demanded that the affected hotel and bar owners must also be paid compensation at the rate of Rs 5000 per square feet.