Amritsar Holy City: Over 100 shops selling liquor, non-veg in walled city: Survey

Following the Punjab government’s declaration of three cities, including the Walled City of Amritsar, as holy cities, authorities have begun preparations to remove shops and street vendors selling meat, fish, eggs, liquor and tobacco products from the old city area surrounding the Golden Temple and Akal Takht

AMRITSAR: Following the Punjab government’s declaration of three cities, including the Walled City of Amritsar, as holy cities, authorities have begun preparations to remove shops and street vendors selling meat, fish, eggs, liquor and tobacco products from the old city area surrounding the Golden Temple and Akal Takht.

Following the Punjab government’s declaration of three cities, including the Walled City of Amritsar, as holy cities, authorities have begun preparations to remove shops and street vendors selling meat, fish, eggs, liquor and tobacco products from the old city area surrounding the Golden Temple and Akal Takht.

A recent survey conducted by the municipal corporation identified 110 such shops and vendors within the old city limits, though complete data on grocery shops selling eggs, tobacco and tobacco is still being compiled. According to the survey, the Telephone Exchange area has seven meat shops and carts and one pan-bidi kiosk, while Katra Jaimal Singh has one egg cart, two pan-bidi kiosks, one meat shop, one pan shop, and an additional cart selling boiled eggs.

At Hathi Gate, there are six meat shops, two pan-bidi shops, and two dhabas. In front of Hindu Sabha College, one meat cart and one egg cart were found, while near Women’s Hospital, there is one egg cart and one pan shop.

Inside Lohgarh Gate, there are two meat carts and three egg carts. Hakiman Gate hosts four meat carts, one meat shop, one egg cart, and one cigarette kiosk. In Bhagtanwala, there are two meat shops, two meat carts, one egg shop, one egg and soup cart, and one pan cart.

At Chowk Bhai Ka Katra, two meat shops were recorded, while near Krishna Cinema, there is one gutkha-bidi cart and one fish shop, and in front of Raj Cinema, two fish carts. Inside Gilwali Gate, officials found five meat carts and one egg and soup cart.

At Katra Karam Singh, there are four meat shops and one gutka–cigarette cart, and at another location within the same area, two bidi kiosks and two meat shops. Near DAV College, there is one egg shop and one pan shop, while Patel Chowk has five meat carts and one chicken soup cart. Khoo Bombe Wala has one pan cart and one pan shop, and Katra Moti Ram has one pan cart. In Jattan Wala Bazaar, there is one egg cart, while at Lahori Gate, there are two egg carts and one pan–bidi shop. Khazana Gate has one egg cart, and Bazaar Baba Bhuri Wala has one meat shop and one meat cart. At Hall Bazaar, Gol Hatti Chowk, there are three pan–bidi shops and one dhaba. Namak Mandi hosts one pan cart and one meat shop, Guru Bazaar has one pan kiosk, and inside Hall Gate fish market, twelve fish shops were recorded.

Municipal corporation officials have started the next phase of action, holding meetings with departments, including the estate office, health department, and others to ensure compliance. A meeting was held on Monday under the chairmanship of joint commissioner Jai Inder Singh.

Speaking over the phone, the joint commissioner said, “We have constituted three teams, headed by the estate officer, secretary, and health officer of the municipal corporation. These teams have started communicating government instructions to shopkeepers. Non-veg eateries or vendors will have to replace non-veg items with vegetarian options. Some shopkeepers have approached us seeking 2-3 days to comply, and we are giving them that time.”

The excise department has not issued any liquor vend licences in the walled city but will monitor illegal sales, while Health Department officials will check for sale of tobacco, bidis, and cigarettes.