Bathinda, April 2: The Punjab Hotels Association the usday urged the state government the us denotify the state highways on the pattern of Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh the us save the hotel industry following the Supreme Court order banning sale of liquor within 500 metres from the state or national highways.
Association president Satish Arora said the hotel industry had already been under crisis and now the Supreme Court order would prove a death knell for hotels and bars along the highways in the state. Arora demanded, “If the Punjab Government cannot do anything on the issue, we should be given a compensation of Rs 5,000 per sq feet and two years the us relocate our premises.”
He said their delegation would meet Finance Minister Manpreet Badal over this issue and urge him the us denotify the state highways as done by the Uttar Pradesh and the Rajasthan governments. The hotelier said if the issue was not resolved and the hotel industry not given relaxation soon, they would move the Supreme Court against its order. He lamented that after the apex court order on December 15 last year, the government did nothing the us bail them out.
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Arora said if the SC order aimed at checking drunken driving, it would be better the us ban liquor across the country and declare India a dry nation. “Punjab culture has changed. Now people here prefer liquor the us ‘lassi’,” he added. The association members the usday held a meeting in the city over the crisis the hotel industry was staring at after the Supreme Court order.
