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Those who crave for a few pegs down the stomach after a hard day's work had a shock in the waiting for them when they ran into downed shutters of bars and liquor shops in Guwahati city.
Most of the liquor shops, bars, lounge bars, hotels with bar in the city were forced to close shop all of a sudden after Gauhati high court directed the deputy commissioner of Kamrup (metropolitan) district earlier in the day to ensure closure of all liquor shops, bars, lounge bars, hotels with bars located within 500 meters radius from any hospitals, religious and educational institutions in the city with immediate effect.
A single-member bench of Justice Ujjal Bhutan of the high court while delivering the order directed the deputy commissioner to furnish detail list of all such bars, liquor shops, lounge bars and hotels with bar in the city and also the name of officials of the state excise department who were responsible for granting license to these business establishment violating the laid down norms in the State Excise Act.
The court order came in response to a petition filed by owner of Mid Town Bar which was located near an age-old church along the Guwahati-Shillong Road, challenging an order of the district administration directing closure of his bar on the ground that it was located too close to the church.
The petitioner's counsel had drawn the attention of the court that not only Mid Town bar, but there were a large number of liquor shops, bars, lounge bars and hotels with bar in the city which were located within 500 meters radius of hospitals, educational institutions and religious places.
The court has fixed August 24 as the next date of hearing. As per the rules in Assam Excise Act, no liquor shop, bars etc could run business within a 500-metre radius from any education institutions, hospitals and place of religious worship.
However, there are hundreds of such business establishments in the city in such prohibited locations.