Close X
Thursday, October 31, 2024
ADVT 
India

Punjab Assembly Passes Amendment To Allow Serving Liquor In Hotels On Highway

IANS, 23 Jun, 2017 01:14 PM
    The Punjab Assembly on Friday passed a Bill to enable hotels, restaurants and other notified places near highways in the state to serve liquor.
     
    However, restriction on opening of liquor vends within 500 metres of highways will remain as per the directions of the Supreme Court issued in December last year.
     
    The state Cabinet had on Monday okayed a proposal to amend Section 26-A of the Punjab Excise Act, 1914, for fixing location of liquor vends on national and state highways, thus removing hotels, restaurants and clubs from the restrictions on serving liquor within 500 metres of those roads.
     
    The Punjab Excise (Amendment) Bill, which was moved by Parliamentary Affairs Minister Brahm Mohindra, was passed by the Assembly on the concluding day of its Budget session.
     
    In December last year, the Supreme Court had ordered that liquor vends located within 500 metres on national and state highways, should be closed down.
     
    Later, it had modified the order reducing the distance to 220 metres in areas having a population of up to 20,000.
     
    However, the apex court had made it clear that its December 15, 2016 order banning such vends within 500 metres of highways shall remain operative for other areas.
     
     
    “The judicial pronouncement is aimed at checking drunken driving and the resultant losses. However, there are large number of hotels, restaurants, clubs and other enclosed notified places where liquor is sold for in situ consumption,” the Bill states.
     
    “These are a part of the hospitality and tourism industry which generates substantial employment in the state. Absence of liquor in hotels, restaurants, clubs etc has seriously affected their existence and even their partial closure may create substantial unemployment in the state,” it said.
     
    The Bill aims to ensure that hotels, restaurants, clubs and other notified places are allowed to serve alcohol only for consumption within their premises “to secure the livelihood” of a large segment of the state’s population.
     
    However, sale of liquor shall be permitted only through licensed vends which shall not be located within 500 metres from the outer range of the national or state highway or a service lane of those roads.
     
    Also, liquor vends shall neither be directly visible nor accessible from highways.
     
    The Bill mentions that notwithstanding anything contained in any judgment, decree or order of any court, tribunal or authority, every club, hotel, restaurant or any notified place having a licence shall be entitled to serve liquor within the premises located near national or state highways.
     
    The SAD-BJP alliance and AAP members were not present in the Assembly when this Bill and other legislative businesses were taken up as they had staged a walkout during the Question hour.
     
     
    Amid chaos in Friday’s session, the Assembly also passed other amendments, such as one to The Punjab Cooperative Societies Act, 1961, which previously empowered officials to auction of a farmer under debt.

    MORE India ARTICLES

    UP Villagers Given Shampoos, Soaps To 'Clean Up' And 'Smell Good' Before CM Yogi Adityanath

    UP Villagers Given Shampoos, Soaps To 'Clean Up' And 'Smell Good' Before CM Yogi Adityanath
    In a bizarre move, the district administration in Uttar Pradesh's Kushinagar asked the residents to have a bath before attending a meeting with Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath so that they "don’t stink".

    UP Villagers Given Shampoos, Soaps To 'Clean Up' And 'Smell Good' Before CM Yogi Adityanath

    Burhan Wani's Successor Sabzar Bhat Among 9 Terrorists Killed In Jammu And Kashmir

    Burhan Wani's Successor Sabzar Bhat Among 9 Terrorists Killed In Jammu And Kashmir
    Hizbul Mujahideen's Sabzar Ahmad Bhat was among two terrorists who were killed in an encounter in Jammu and Kashmir's Tral. Six others were killed in Rampur sector while trying to infiltrate into India from across the LoC.

    Burhan Wani's Successor Sabzar Bhat Among 9 Terrorists Killed In Jammu And Kashmir

    Nitish Kumar Says No To Sonia Gandhi, But Will Lunch With PM Modi

    Nitish Kumar Says No To Sonia Gandhi, But Will Lunch With PM Modi
    BJP leader Shaina NC said there could be any kind of talk, either developmental or a generic one, but one does not need to speculate on it.

    Nitish Kumar Says No To Sonia Gandhi, But Will Lunch With PM Modi

    PM Narendra Modi Pays Tributes To Jawaharlal Nehru On His 53rd Death Anniversary

    PM Narendra Modi Pays Tributes To Jawaharlal Nehru On His 53rd Death Anniversary
    Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday paid his tributes to former prime minister Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru on his 53rd death anniversary.

    PM Narendra Modi Pays Tributes To Jawaharlal Nehru On His 53rd Death Anniversary

    Delhi High Court Seeks Record Of Doctor Indicted In Us For Sexual Offence

    Delhi High Court Seeks Record Of Doctor Indicted In Us For Sexual Offence
    The Delhi High Court on Friday sought the record of an Indian doctor indicted by a US court in 2011 for conducting unwarranted medical examinations on women patients, his plea bargain and other details.

    Delhi High Court Seeks Record Of Doctor Indicted In Us For Sexual Offence

    Mohali Engineer Sukhwinderjit Singh's Wife, 'Paramour' Get Governor Pardon

    Mohali Engineer Sukhwinderjit Singh's  Wife, 'Paramour' Get Governor Pardon
    Mohali QuarkCity engineer Sukhwinderjit Singh’s murder convicts – his young wife Neki Nalwa and her alleged paramour Himmat Singh Brandy – who were denied bail repeatedly 

    Mohali Engineer Sukhwinderjit Singh's Wife, 'Paramour' Get Governor Pardon