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Cheers! Khattar govt’s new rules to benefit bar owners
The Haryana government has issued fresh instructions which will bring a major respite to the hotel and bar owners affected by the liquor ban in the state, including Gurgaon and Panchkula.
The Haryana government has issued fresh instructions which will bring a major respite to the hotel and bar owners affected by the liquor ban in the state, including Gurgaon and Panchkula.
According to a memo sent on Thursday by Panchkula excise and taxation commissioner to the deputy excise commissioners across the state, it will be the distance from gate of the bar and not the hotel which will be measured from the highway.
The Supreme Court had prohibited sale and serving of liquor in all places falling within 500 m from the national and state highways.
The instructions say, “The distance should be counted from the outer edge of the highway or service lane and up to the entrance of the actual premises where liquor is actually being sold and served.”
This means the main gate won’t matter for this purpose and it will be the bar which is generally located at a distance that would be considered.
The Supreme Court order also prohibits sale and serving of liquor in places visible from the highways.
But the latest government’s instructions will cheer up the bar owners as these say that the visibility is “to be decided on the basis that there is no signage, arrow mark or indication which suggests a visitor to know the existence of the place where liquor is being sold/served.”
Now, liquor will also flow at marriages and other functions. The new set of instructions say licences will be issued for liquor at special functions at banquet halls/marriage palaces within the new parameters.
These instructions were cleared in a meeting chaired by chief minister Manohar Lal Khattar and were framed after detailed discussions with the state advocate general, said a senior official. These are expected to bring many five star hotels, malls and other places out of the ambit of the booze ban following the Supreme Court’s December 15 judgment.
