| |
Stars for bars ok, but no drinks after 1 am: Lovely
September 02, 2007
New Delhi: Delhi's tourism
minister Arvinder Singh Lovely has said he is not opposed to looking
at grading of bars, restaurants, lounges and pubs on the lines of
the hotel industry,
but he would not have people drinking publicly beyond 1 am. The minister
is clear that the bars at standalone restaurants and pubs
in Delhi must close by 1 am.
 As reported in this newspaper's Saturday edition, the Delhi
government's excise department proposes to liberalise norms
by seeking changes in the excise rules and relax bar timings till
1 am. It also proposes to give 5-star hotels the freedom to serve
liquor 24x7 in their restaurants and bars. But owners of top-end,
stand-alone restaurants have protested, saying it was a discriminatory
move.
While the government cites security concerns as the reason, bar
owners feel this is unfair and suggest that categorisation of bars,
clubs and lounges on the lines of the hotel industry could facilitate
relaxation in timings. The excise department, however, insists that
it has no authority to categorise pubs and restuarants as this falls
in the domain of the tourism department.
Principal secretary (tourism) Rakesh Mehta says: "Liquor
is the domain of the excise department. As for grading of restaurants
on the lines of hotels, there is no such provision as of now. Moreover,
as far as I know, even in countries abroad, where the restaurant
and bar culture has flourished, no such grading exists.''
Tourism minister Arvinder Singh Lovely said he was not opposed
to exploring the option of categorising pubs and restaurants under
star-grading. The minister also maintained that extending the time
for serving liquor till 1 am was good enough and no further relaxation
was required.
"Five star hotels in Delhi have
a large set-up with a full campus and management in place. In case
an unwarranted situation arises, they have the infrastructure and
werewithal to deal with it. Stand-alone pubs and restaurants may
not be as well equipped,'' Lovely said.
The minister also pointed out that the 24x7 concept was being restricted
to 5-star hotels keeping in mind the foreign tourists who come on
international flights and are likely to check in at odd hours. The
excise department's proposal to extend bar timimgs is pegged to
the 2010 Commonwealth Games,
when an influx of foreign tourists is expected.
This stand of the government will prove to be a major impediment
in the way of giving Delhi a thriving night life. People these days
work till late hours and need more time to unwind. If the government
behaves like the proverbial ostrich with its head buried in the
sand, it's difficult to see how Delhi can become a truly global
city.
Source: The Times of India
|
