With the UT administration all set to notify a draft policy to close discotheques and gaming parlours by midnight, discotheque owners and hoteliers have come up with a Facebook page to muster support to put pressure on the authorities to allow them to remain open till 1am.
The page ‘Save Chandigarh nightlife’ mentions about the policy and seeks views from the city residents.
They said instead curtailing the time of discotheques, the authorities concerned should check lawlessness. The page “Save Chandigarh nightlife” mentions about the policy and seeks views from city residents.
The facebook page has posts such as: “Are we back to the dark ages? Help us reach this message out to Chandigarh city to save Chandigarh Nightlife!! Policy for safety of citizens is always welcome, but is shutting down economy sources a remedy? Rather this move is going to give a boost to the economy of neighbouring cities/states rather than controlling any hooliganism. Where are the measures of controlling the cities borders?”
The page has already hit 500 likes since February 28.
Kuldeep Gupta, owner of Tao, said: “We start receiving customers around 9.30pm or 10pm and if we close out place at midnight, it won’t be value for money. There should be strict enforcement by the police instead of asking the establishments to wind up early.”
{{/usCountry}}Kuldeep Gupta, owner of Tao, said: “We start receiving customers around 9.30pm or 10pm and if we close out place at midnight, it won’t be value for money. There should be strict enforcement by the police instead of asking the establishments to wind up early.”
{{/usCountry}}The policy: “Controlling Of Places Of Public Amusement-2016” curtailing the time of discotheques and pubs from 1am to midnight, has been cleared by UT administrator Kaptan Singh Solanki. On February 24, the Punjab and Haryana high court was told by UT counsel JS Toor that the administrator had cleared the policy and would be notified soon.
The decision comes in the wake of the recent incidents of lawlessness at the discotheques and the immediate provocation for coming up with the policy was the firing at a discotheque in sector 8, in June last year. The Punjab and Haryana high court had asked the administration to come up with a policy as in its absence there was no regulation at these places.
Under the amusement cate gory, the administration has listed discotheque, pool game, virtual reality games, game machine parlours and bowling alleys.
These would include places where there is music, singing, dancing (excluding cinema) and facility of eating and consumption of alcohol are provided to the customers or patrons in the prescribed area with the purpose of running a commercial enterprise.
For the strict implementation of the policy administration has also suggested formulation of two committees that is nodal and monitoring committee.
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