Gurgaon: SC’s liquor ban forces pub owners to relocate - Hindustan Times
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Gurgaon: SC’s liquor ban forces pub owners to relocate

Hindustan Times | By, Gurgaon
Apr 01, 2017 09:56 PM IST

Fearing a slump in business in the light of the apex court directive banning the sale of liquor in vends and pubs located within 500 metres of state and national highways, pub and bar owners at CyberHub, Sector 29 and Sohna Road are considering shifting their establishments further inside the city and away from the Delhi-Gurgaon Expressway.

The crowd of party-goers in Gurgaon could soon be making a beeline for the watering holes on MG Road and Golf Course Road as they fall out of the 500 metre rule that has been imposed by the Supreme Court with regard to the sale of liquor.

The bar owners at CyberHub said they have begun scouting for locations to shift their businesses.(Sanjeev Verma/HT PHOTO)
The bar owners at CyberHub said they have begun scouting for locations to shift their businesses.(Sanjeev Verma/HT PHOTO)

Fearing a slump in business in the light of the apex court directive banning the sale of liquor in vends and pubs located within 500 metres of state and national highways, pub and bar owners at CyberHub, Sector 29 and Sohna Road are considering shifting their establishments further inside the city and away from the Delhi-Gurgaon Expressway. The move would ensure compliance with the Supreme Court order.

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The bar owners at CyberHub, who have been hit the hardest by the top court directive, said they have already begun scouting for locations to shift their businesses. However, they said they are yet to get full clarity on the Supreme Court ruling and the minimum distance from the highways that they have to maintain to ensure compliance with the directive.

“We still don’t know whether our pubs fall in the red zone. We are awaiting more clarity on the ruling from the excise department and once we have it, we will consider our next move,” a pub owner said.

The alternative locations being considered by the pub owners include malls at MG road, commercial buildings on Golf Course road and Golf Course Extension Road. As the pub owners consider relocating further inland in the light of the Supreme Court ruling, such installations as the Horizon Plaza, M3M Urbana and other up and coming commercial establishments could emerge as the future hot spots for pub-hoppers.

A clutch of commercial establishments in the west of the city, including some new malls in sectors 22 and 23, could also benefit from the Supreme Court ruling, as the pub owners consider shifting elsewhere.

Even residents who used to frequent the watering holes at CyberHub or along the expressway are now opting for pubs closer to their localities. Rajesh Kumar Singh, a resident of Golf Course Road, said while the closing of pubs at CyberHub is sad, he willing to consider options closer home. “We would have to consider going back to our old haunts on MG Road and Golf Course Road and also visit other places that have plenty of food and liquor joints,” Singh said.

A bar owner in CyberHub, who asked not to be named, said he and fellow operators would approach the excise department for more clarity on the ruling before considering relocation.

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  • ABOUT THE AUTHOR
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    Leena Dhankhar has worked with Hindustan Times for five years. She has covered crime, traffic and excise. She now reports on civic issues and grievances of residents.

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