Even as the monitoring committee awaits response from different departments in connection with the altered routes of some bars and hotels near National Highway-8, the final report over the matter could be delayed further.
It has been 10 days since the monitoring committee measured the distance to several prominent bars and hotels, including The Leela, The Oberoi, Ambience Mall and CyberHub, from the highway on April 10 to ascertain whether they fell within the 500m buffer zone where sale of liquor has been banned by the Supreme Court.
Hung in balance
Later, the motoroable distance to over a dozen bars in Sector 29 was measured on April 13 and they were also found to be outside the buffer zone. However, the measurement courted controversy when a wall was constructed on the road leading to the bars in Sector 29, increasing the motorable distance by over 200m. Interestingly, none of the agencies took responsibility for having constructed it.
The monitoring committee will now submit a final report to the Excise Commissioner in Chandigarh for a final decision on the grant of licences to these bars.
The Monitoring committee chairperson, Deputy Commissioner Hardeep Singh, said: “We have sought reports from the Haryana State Industrial and Infrastructure Department (HSIIDC) and the Department of Town and Country Planning (DTCP) with regard to change in the routes of some bars and hotels. The reports are still awaited delaying the final report. But I have directed the Excise and Taxation Department to at least prepare a report with regard to those cases where there is no dispute.”
A source in the monitoring committee told The Hindu that the local HSIIDC officials had given their nod to the alterations made by The Oberoi and The Trident to their entrances and the report was now sent to the corporation's headquarters in Chandigarh. He, however, added that the fate of The Leela and the bars in Sector 29 still hung in balance. “While the new U-turn opened by The Leela does not seem according to the plan, the committee has received a complaint with regard to the wall constructed on the road in Sector 29 as well. Even a senior police officer has verbally conveyed his objection to the construction of the wall, arguing that it could cause traffic-related problems,” said the source.
