After going through the entire trauma of shutting down and losing out on their bread and butter, Punjab Government has finally found a way out to help the established businesses of distressed people serving alcohol including liquor vends. Do not get this wrong, No, Punjab government by no means has defied the SC orders of liquor ban on the State and National highways. Managing a way out of the chaos, they have come up with a new ruling to bridge the gap between antagonist investors and the Supreme Court ruling.
About the New Rule
The New rule states that ” State highways which are totalling to 31 km passing through various cities of Punjab shall no longer be treated as highways.” This rule is enforced as the Punjab Government explains that several by-passes from various cities which adjoin these highways run through cities whose commercial establishments are suffering huge revenue loss because of the ruling.
Why the New rule?
The New Rule has been enforced to cater to the demands of many who have invested millions in their businesses which are now shut by just one SC order. To aid them earn their livelihood and help reduce the mass unemployment that followed just after the ruling, the rule has been enforced to benefit the investors and their diligent workers. After being approached by the affected people, The ruling was issued by the newly elected Chief Minister of Punjab, Capt Amarinder Singh.
Beneficiaries of the Ruling
- De-notification of stretches that are 1.70 km to 5.50 km in length on Punjab’s seven highways running through 25 cities have a sigh of relief now.
- The de-notification is carefully carried out by the Public Works Department of the Punjab Government that has been granted this responsibility.
- Restaurants and bars which are located along state highways under the given permissible stretch
- Cities like Amritsar, Patiala, Ludhiana, Phagwara and Jalandhar exempted already
- Hoshiarpur, Balachaur, Garhshankar, Moga, Rajpura and Pathankot, all of them to be exempted, under the scrutiny
- All bypasses passing through 25 states of Punjab
Statistics State the Truth
- The ruling to benefit 15% of the distressed establishments
- More jobs to be created
- No mass unemployment issues
- If extended to National Highways, the benefit achieved to be 25%
- 400 bars and restaurants on highways out of the total of 1600
Whatever that has happened in the recent past, the new ruling has yet again proved that, Punjabi’s always have a way out, and that’s called ‘Jugaad.’
It works and works well indeed. Isn’t it?
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