CHANDIGARH: Not just bars, restaurants and liquor vends, Punjab’s big fat weddings have gone dry as the state government has stopped issuing one-day liquor permits to marriage halls too after the Supreme Court banned liquor outlets within 500 m of national and state highways.
As in many other states, marriage halls are often located along highway on the outskirts of cities. Since bacchanalia is an essential part of Punjabi weddings, many parties buy a one-permit, the fee for which ranges from Rs 2000 to Rs 25,000.
Sources in the state’s excise and taxation department confirmed to New Indian Express that one-day permits have been stopped to marriage halls located on the highways. Even permits given earlier have been withdrawn.
There is no clarity whether the Supreme Court order applies to marriage places too but Punjab’s officials are taking no chances. So now booze before the baaraat until further orders.
Marriage palace owners contend that the Supreme Court order banning sale of liquor within 500 metres of highways, did not mention marriage palaces following which the excise department has sought clarity from the Advocate General Punjab about the Apex court verdict.
An official of the Punjab excise and taxation department said the department has sought clarity from Advocate General Punjab to know whether the SC order was applicable on marriage palaces.
Meanwhile, the state’s liquor trade is nursing its hangover. Satish Arora, president of the Punjab Hotel and Restaurant Association, made dire predictions. “It is just not the financial loss. Tourism will vanish from the state and there will be job losses as bar owners will close their establishments. There are 2800 hotels and restaurants along the highways in the state, all of them with bars or pubs. This order will kill 80 per cent of them.’’
He added that these joints have already paid Rs 800 crore as excise duty for this financial year besides Rs 2700 as tax per box of whisky. In addition, liquor served to a consumer attracts a 6 per cent tax and the food 14 per cent service tax. “All this will be lost to the state exchequer,’’ Arora added.
Arora estimated that the loss to the state government would amount to Rs 50 crore per day.
The liquor trade is proposing two options to the Amarinder Singh government. They want the state and national highways running through the state denotified, or give traders two years time to shift their establishments. Plus, compensation at the rate of Rs 5000 per sft for the loss of business.
In Chandigarh, hoteliers and restaurateurs were an excercised lot on Monday as they protested the Supreme Court ban. Manmohan Singh Kohli, president of the Chandigarh Hotelier and Restaurant Association, said their protest was aimed at ensuring that the Supreme Court looks at the whole thing again.
(With inputs from PTI)