With nightclubs and their operating hours becoming an issue for the law and order condition in the district, the Deputy Commissioner has said that Section 144 of the CrPc will be implemented in areas that house the clubs, from Monday. Most clubs operate till early morning.
The Section prohibits more than four people from assembling in an area.
Deputy Commissioner (DC), Girish Dayalan said nightclubs and restaurants will not be allowed to serve liquor after 12 am. The District Administration, however, has not issued an advisory about the operating hours of clubs, and nor has the police taken any action.
When asked about the reason behind not fixing the timings of the clubs, the DC said that as per excise laws, liquor could be served in restaurants and night clubs till 12 am. However, they could not fix the timings as the Labour Department had issued a notification on July 16 and allowed nightclubs to work round the clock.
“I will speak to the labour department and discuss the notification with them. In Chandigarh too, preventive measures have been taken. We will fix the timing till 12 am,” the DC added.
At present ten nightclubs operate in the district with a maximum of six clubs in Zirakpur. The nightclubs operate till early morning and create nuisance in residential areas. The official timing of the Walking Street night club, where a commando posted in the CM’s security team was shot dead on Sunday, was from 10 pm to 4 am.
Zirakpur residents have lodged many complaints with the local police and the district administration earlier to close the nightclubs in time, but no concrete action has been taken so far.
After the incident outside Walking Street club, the Zirakpur Police closed the night clubs around 5 am on Sunday.
