Holy city: Punjab govt begins shifting liquor, meat kiosks out of Amritsar walled city
Amritsar (PTI): Punjab government has begun shifting temporary kiosks and street vendors selling liquor, meat, eggs, tobacco and other non-vegetarian items from the old walled city of Amritsar, which has recently been declared a holy city, officials said on Saturday.
Officials of the Amritsar Municipal Corporation said a detailed survey has identified around 150 temporary shops and stalls operating within the walled city.
These include meat shops, pan-bidi kiosks and carts selling boiled eggs, particularly in areas such as the Old Telephone Exchange near Shastri Market and Katra Jaimal Singh.
Several other locations, including Hathi Gate, Lohgarh Gate, Hakiman Gate, Bhagtanwala Gate, Guruwali Gate, Guru Bazaar, Lahori Gate, Namak Mandi and surrounding areas were also found to have vendors selling non-vegetarian food and tobacco products, officials said.
Amritsar Hotel and Restaurant Association president Surinder Singh said that excise department has not issued liquor vend licences within the walled city, nevertheless some illegal liquor sale was taking place.
The government decision will not impact around 650 hotels and guest houses near the Golden Temple as they do not serve liquor or non-vegetarian food to pilgrims, he said.
Meanwhile, a wholesale fish trader in Amritsar, Yuvraj Singh, expressed concern over the move.
Nearly 60,000 people are linked to the fish trade, supplying fish across Punjab and neighbouring states, doing business worth several crores of rupees, he said, adding that these traders would face temporary unemployment if the market is shifted without proper rehabilitation.
Yuvraj urged the state government to prioritise rehabilitation, stating that restaurants, hotels and eateries dependent on fish supply from the walled city market would also suffer losses.
The Aam Aadmi Party-led government recently declared parts of Amritsar, Talwindi Sabo and Sri Anandpur Sahib as holy cities.
Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann announced the decision in a video message on December 21.
Following this, the sale of meat, fish, alcohol, tobacco and other intoxicants were banned in these areas.
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'Shocked' SC summons police commissioner, IO on Apr 13 in Ghaziabad rape-murder case of minor
New Delhi (PTI): Expressing deep shock, the Supreme Court on Friday intervened in the harrowing rape-murder case of a four-year-old girl in Ghaziabad and summoned the police commissioner and the investigating officer on April 13 with the case records.
A bench comprising Chief Justice of India (CJI) Surya Kant and Justices Joymalya Bagchi and Vipul M Pancholi took note of the submissions of senior lawyer N Hariharan, appearing for the victim's father, a daily wager, and expressed its displeasure over the manner in which the state police had conducted the investigation so far in the case.
The CJI lambasted the state police and two private hospitals, which refused to treat the girl before she succumbed to her injuries post-alleged rape, for their "complete indifference" and "insensitive approach".
On March 16, the victim was allegedly lured away by a neighbour on the pretext of buying chocolates and when the child did not return, a search led the father to find her lying unconscious and covered in blood. She later succumbed to her injuries at a government hospital in Ghaziabad.
