Haryana Public Works Department Minister and Badshahpur MLA Rao Narbir Singh on Monday said that 12 pubs and bars running in separate shopping malls on Mehrauli-Gurugram Road were shut down for carrying out illegal activities.
District Excise and Taxation Department, Gurugram, however, said that the licences to these establishments were yet to be revoked.
Mr. Singh said that he had kept the promise made to the residents of several condominiums along the MG Road a week ago to initiate action against the pubs and bars indulging in illegal activities.
Prostitution racket
The Gurugram police had cracked down on the pubs and bars on the MG Road after Police Commissioner K.K. Rao took over last month and busted prostitution rackets.
Several persons, including women, were also arrested in these raids.
On July 22, several Residents Welfare Associations held a protest seeking the closure of these establishments for allegedly vitiating the atmosphere.
Mr. Singh had also participated in the protest. The RWA members had claimed that prostitution and drugs rackets were being run from these establishments and the menace had spilled over to the residential areas.
Mr. Singhsaid that he spoke to Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar on the issue and 12 pubs and bars, running in Sahara Mall, MGF Mall and JMD Mall, were shut down after they were found indulging in illegal activities during a probe.
He said that none of the pubs and bars would be allowed to carry out illegal activities.
District Excise and Taxation Commissioner H.S. Dahiya said, “The Gurugram Police Commissioner wrote to us last week informing that they had cancelled the No Objection Certificate granted to these pubs. We have communicated this to the Excise Commissioner in Chandigarh. But there is no communication so far on the cancellation of the licences to these establishments.”
One of the pub owners said that though they had not received any communication from the Excise and Taxation Department on the cancellation of their licences, but the police on Monday forced them to keep their establishments closed.
He said that two of the bars had got a stay orders from the Punjab and Haryana High Court on the cancellation of their NOCs by the police.
“Their NOCs have been withdrawn. Excise department will revoke the licenses very soon after due formalities. Current stocks of liquor have been checked and no fresh permits are being released,” said Gurugram Deputy Commissioner Vinay Pratap Singh.