A protest was reported in the Model House locality of the city’s West constituency after residents raised their voice against the reopening of a liquor shop in their area.
According to locals the shop has been facing opposition for a long time and even earlier people had protested against it multiple times and residents said that the shop’s license expired on March 31 and they were expecting it to shut down permanently however the shop has now reopened after getting its license renewed which has again angered the locals.
After receiving information police reached the spot and started looking into the matter, ASI Dildar Singh said that the residents are protesting against the liquor shop but the police cannot shut it down on their own, he explained that this matter comes under the Excise Department and any action regarding closure has to be taken by them he also added that so far no fights or law-and-order issues related to the shop have been officially reported.
Local leader Sudesh Bhagat has also been informed about the situation and he said that he supports the residents and will not allow a liquor shop to run inside a residential area however he added that he has no issue if such shops are opened outside the locality.
On the other hand Manoj Kumar an employee at the shop said that the shop is legally operating with a valid license and claimed that the shop owner Amar has all the required permissions, he also said that earlier they were paying ₹60,000 rent for a smaller shop but later shifted to a bigger place nearby at a lower rent and started the liquor outlet there.
He questioned the residents’ claims of frequent fights saying that if such incidents were happening complaints should have been filed especially since the police station is nearby and he also informed that the Excise Department has been called and the shop will operate only after officials inspect the site.
Meanwhile residents like Rakesh said that they had been assured earlier that the shop would close after March 31 but it has reopened again and now the locals have warned that they will not allow the shop to run and may stage a protest outside the Deputy Commissioner’s office if no action is taken. Residents also raised concerns that a temple is located near the shop and they said that a petition regarding this issue has already been filed in the High Court and a final decision is still pending.