Hotels and clubs serving alcohol at night under scanner, strict action likely

Jamshedpur : Hotels, clubs and restaurants serving liquor are being watched by the state excise officials. The local police along with the Excise Department have asked the Hotels, clubs and restaurants to stop serving liquor after 11 pm.

What is causing concern is the enforcement of closing times. Hoteliers say the police want them to close by 11 p.m., when business is just picking up. However, the officer maintains, “We will be strict with the timings. Serving liquor without a licence will also not be permitted at any cost, he warns. Let them go to the authorities concerned or the government and plead their case.

State excise officials of Jamshedpur Division, are all set to crack down on the partygoers and organizers for failure to meet the basic requirements in procuring permit for purchase, possession, transportation and use of pure foreign liquors and even from authorized outlets.

Excise officials are of the opinion that hotel owners, organizers and even consumers are not following the rules set by the concerned department. All the hotels are supposed to obtain license/permit to serve liquor under the one-day temporary club license, which is valid for the particular date till sunrise. Besides, the guest should also have permit to consume liquor.

“Most of the hotels are not adhering to the rules while serving foreign liquor in lavish parties. We have noticed that this trend is being practiced by almost all concerned-hotels, organizers and users.

Both our special squad and flying unit are gearing up to check the wrong practice at various star hotels in this region. We insist that one-day temporary club license as well as permit for consumers is quite mandatory,” said an excise officer.

The East Singhbhum deputy commissioner Amitabh Kaushal has ordered continuous raids against illegal distilleries especially in view of the forthcoming festive season and assembly election scheduled later this year.

He said that police officials had been directed to hold meetings with hotel and restaurant authorities in their respective areas and instruct them to abide the norms; otherwise strict action will be initiated against them.

Interestingly, when it comes to billing, the name of a particular brand of liquor will be abbreviated ambiguously and added as an attachment to the bill.

Some restaurants even incorporate it as an additional dish. While serving liquor might help these restaurants in ensuring sustained patronage, their counterparts who claim to be on the right side of the law are feeling the pinch.

“It (serving liquor) gives them an unfair advantage over so many other restaurants which are following the rules of the land,” says the representative of a leading food chain in the city who did not want to be identified.