PUNE: Hit hard
by falling revenues, as many as 90 liquor stores, permit rooms, bars and restaurants in the district
have decided to shift their premises outside 500m of national and state highways to circumvent the Supreme Court ban.
Of the 90, about 12 restaurants and bars - mostly from rural areas - have also applied to the excise department to shift outside the periphery of highway, officials told pune-news.com.
Of the 90, about 12 restaurants and bars - mostly from rural areas - have also applied to the excise department to shift outside the periphery of highway, officials told pune-news.com.
An excise department official said, "Applicants wishing
to shift outside the 500-meter highway radius have now lost all hope of any
change in the rules. They have, therefore, decided to shift so that they can
resume serving liquor."
The 90 applications have come from wine shops, bars or permit
rooms, country liquor shops, beer shops and some
restaurants. "These establishments will have to apply afresh for various
licences before they can shift. Once they get all the necessary licences,
including the food and drug licence, they can shift," the official said.
President of Pune Restaurants and Hoteliers Association,
Ganesh Shetty, said that for restaurants and permit rooms in the city, shifting
is next to impossible. "Commercial property rates in the city are sky
high. Most restaurants are spread over 1,000sqft to 3,000sqft area. Shifting is
only possible for permit rooms and bars in rural areas," he said.
The excise official added that the liquor ban continues to
hurt revenue. "Some restaurants are more popular for their food than
liquor. In such restaurants, the liquor revenue will be just 10% of the total
revenue, with 90% from food. After the ban, these restaurants on highway have
seen almost a 30% drop in food revenue as well," he said.
Close to 300 restaurants in Pune and 200 in rural areas have
shut indefinitely following the ban.
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