<p style="text-align: justify; ">Finally, after five months bars on Madhya Marg and Himalayan Marg will be able to serve liquor again from Wednesday as the UT Administration has decided to renew the bar licences of hotels, restaurants, discotheques and clubs following the clarification issued by the Supreme Court last week.<br></p><p style="text-align: justify; ">The ban on sale of liquor within 500 metres of highways was imposed on April 1 on the apex court’s orders.vThe ban had led to the closure of more than 100 bars in the city, located mostly in Sectors 26 and 35, including those at JW Marriot and Hotel Taj. An estimated 2,000 people had lost their jobs.<br></p><p style="text-align: justify; ">The clarification issued by the Supreme Court stating that the ban would not be applicable within the municipal limits has brought great relief to hoteliers.<br></p><p style="text-align: justify; ">However, this year, liquor vends will not be opened on sector roads as the places for these have already been notified in the excise policy announced in March.</p><p style="text-align: justify; ">The UT excise and taxation department has started accepting applications for liquor licence from hoteliers. The department will start issuing permits after charging Rs 6 lakh fee from them.</p><p style="text-align: justify; ">Deputy commissioner Ajit Balaji Joshi, who is also the UT excise and taxation commissioner, said the decision on opening 22 liquor vends affected by the ban will be taken later. Earlier, the UT had issued 99 licences to vends, which were later reduced to 77 in the 2017-18 excise policy.<br></p><p style="text-align: justify; ">Sector 26 was one of the major centres of nightlife with many discotheques and clubs. Some microbreweries had also shifted to the Industrial Area, which were now planning to restart business in Sector 26. <br></p>
