Haryana declares dry day on January 22

Becomes seventh BJP-ruled state to ban sale of liquor on the day of the Pran Pratishtha (consecration) ceremony at Ram Temple in Ayodhya

Ahead of the inauguration of the Ram temple in Ayodhya, Haryana chief minister Manohar Lal Khattar on Monday announced a dry day on January 22.

Haryana chief minister Manohar Lal Khattar along with Speaker Gian Chand Gupta at the medical college foundation stone-laying function in Panchkula on Monday. (HT Photo)

Haryana has become the seventh state to ban liquor sales on the day of the Pran Pratishtha (consecration) ceremony at Ram Temple in Ayodhya.

Speaking to mediapersons after laying the foundation stone of a medical college in Sector 32, Panchkula, Khattar said: “I had been getting requests from people to declare January 22 as a dry day in the entire state. Shops selling any kind of liquor or any other intoxicating substance would remain closed on that day.”

A total of seven BJP-ruled states have declared dry day on the occasion. The BJP governments in Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Uttarakhand, Uttar Pradesh, Assam and Chhattisgarh have already announced a ban on liquor sale on the day.

Medical college stone laid in Panchkula

The medical college in Panchkula is being built by the Haryana Shahri Vikas Pradhikaran (HSVP) on nearly 30 acres at Sector 32 adjacent to the Ghaggar river at an estimated cost of ₹650 crore.

While the construction of the main college building is underway, classes will be held at the civil hospital in Sector 6 from the 2024-25 academic session.

It is proposed that the college admit 100 students for the MBBS course every year.

The civil hospital will serve as a temporary facility until the new college building is completed in two-and-a-half years.