Pubs, bars must fork out Rs 11,500 for extra hour

Pubs, bars must fork out Rs 11,500 for extra hour
TIMES NEWS NETWORK

Bangalore: Rs 11,500. That’s the price liquor-serving places have to pay so that their New Year revellers can enjoy themselves for an extra hour on December 31. On special occasions, the excise department provides ‘occasional licence’ to hotels serving liquor to extend the deadline by an hour.
The Supreme Court has already taken the view that excise rules can be relaxed on 15 different occasions in a year, including New Year’s Eve.
“There is a provision to acquire an occasional licence which can relax the closing time of a bar to the maximum of one hour. This CL 5 licence can be acquired from the excise deputy commissioner by paying Rs 11,500,’’ excise officials said.
Excise rules state that bars can serve alcohol only till 11.30 pm and those attached to hotels can serve till midnight. Though the occasional licence is given only on New Year’s Eve, bars and pubs manage to grab it for at least two days by stating various reasons. “That’s how bars manage to serve alcohol on December 30 and 31 till late hours. Excise intelligence bureau teams will have to keep a close watch on bars operating after the prescribed time,’’ the official added.
Police too seem to be in a mood to relax the rule as it helps them enforce the law better. “We are a law enforcement agency and there is no provision for any bar to serve liquor or food beyond the deadline. However, on New Year’s Eve, we can relax the rules for some time. If the rules are relaxed, the crowd also won’t be so restive,’’ said police officials. After all, heralding the new year could be happier if both excise and police relax the rules at least for a day or two, feel pub owners and party-goers.
HAPPY HOURS
As year 2008 closes in, there’s some good news for revellers: pubs, bars can remain open for one more hour But this comes with a price. Liquor-serving places must pay Rs 11,500 to stay open for an extra hour Excise dept provides ‘occasional licence’ to hotels serving liquor to extend the deadline by an hour. This has the sanction of Supreme Court, which says excise rules can be relaxed on 15 different occasions in a year