The Chandigarh Excise and Taxation Department has slapped a penalty of Rs 2 Lakh each to six restaurants and two liquor vends in the city for violating norms of excise policy.
All of them were issued show cause notices on July 29 and were asked to submit reply for the excise violations.
“JW Marriott Hotel in Sector 35 here was among the violators for keeping liquor without the hologram. After Friday’s hearing, the next hearing of JW Marriott will be held on August 6 now,” said a senior officer of UT Excise and Taxation Department.
The teams of the UT Excise Department had found a number of liquor bottles without the hologram during checking at the JW Marriott Hotel after the tweet by actor Rahul Bose recently.
The Hotel had recently also faced a penalty of Rs 25,000 for charging actor Rahul Bose Rs 442 with GST for two bananas.
The UT senior officer said that liquor licence of PAARA Club, Centra Mall in Industrial Area here has been suspended for two months time. The violation was opening the club and bar after the allowed time of 1 am and four FIRs were registered within 4-5 months in the matter.
Six restaurants and two liquor vends have been fined Rs 2 lakh each for various violations, he added.
Those slapped with a penalty of Rs 2 Lakh for keeping liquor without hologram included restaurants namely Mainland China Sector 26, Bargain Booze Sector 26, Purple Frog Sector 26, Culture Brew Sector 26 and liquor vends namely M/s Ace Liquor Sector 36 and M/s Mann Brother Sector 40 here.
Notably, holograms were introduced in Chandigarh in 2017 to curb liquor smuggling. Clause 46 of the UT Excise policy states, “Holograms/Intaglio printed security labels with holograms on packings/bottles of country liquor, Indian-made foreign liquor and Imported Foreign liquor will be mandatorily fixed by the licensee at his own expense.”
Meanwhile, M/s Lumos (a unit of nude foods) Godrej Eternia Buildings, Industrial Area, Phase I has been charged with a fine of Rs 2 Lakh for serving liquor into private party without having any license L-5 D and for stock register not updated and authenticated by the Department.
Apart from this, M/s Horse Shoe Bar Exchange (Best Floriculture Pvt Ltd), Industrial Area, Phase II here was also slapped a penalty of Rs 2 Lakh for not producing stock register, inspection notebook and allowing customers to drink their private liquor purchased from outside the restaurant.