Event organisers booked for flouting excise norms

Police have registered an FIR against the organisers of Sunday’s concert featuring internationally acclaimed band Skrillex at Leisure Valley Ground.

Police have registered an FIR against the organisers of Sunday’s concert featuring internationally acclaimed band Skrillex at Leisure Valley Ground.

According to police, Scoop Brand Holdings Private Limited has been booked for violating excise norms. Though the concert organisers had sought a one-day licence (L-12) for selling liquor at the event, it was found that liquor was served to the under-aged.

Aruna Singh, deputy excise and taxation commissioner, Gurgaon, said, “We had issued a temporary licence to them (organisers) to serve liquor but not to under-aged. The excise team was also present at the event and we asked police to take action after we found people moving about in a drunken state. An FIR has been lodged against the organisers.”

Following this, the district administration has decided to tighten norms for holding such events in Gurgaon.

The Gurgaon deputy commissioner on Monday issued orders stating event organisers will have to arrange for a bank guarantee (the amount will be specified later) before seeking permission for any event in which liquor will be served.

If any event is found flouting norms, the bank guarantee will be forfeited and stringent action will be taken against the organisers, an official of the Gurgaon administration said.

The district administration officials said the event, which was attended by nearly 10, 000 people, began around 6 pm and continued late into the evening . Alcohol was reportedly served to those under the age of 25 years.

“We went for the music, but drinks were easily available at the venue. There were no restrictions,” a 17-year-old, who attended the concert, said.

The organisers had sought an NOC for the event saying they expected a crowd of 5,000, but nearly 10,000 people turned up for the concert. This resulted in traffic jams as parking space was limited, a senior official said.

The concert also witnessed brawls, but police personnel managed to avoid any untoward incident. Youths found roaming around were let off with a warning, police said.