Bengaluru: With frequent bandhs bringing Bengaluru to a standstill, it is not just the citizens who have reason to complain. Ordered to remain shut as a precautionary measure for two days, September 20 and 21,
liquor
shops re-opened for business on Thursday but traders were counting their losses and wondering whether they could make up for them.
While officials say the loss in business by closing down liquor shops would amount to nearly Rs 4 crore a day, traders describe the estimate as conservative.
According to Vishwaroop A S, additional commissioner of excise (Indian Made Liquor), almost 2,000 liquor stores in the city close down each time there is an order by the police commissioner. "Almost 25,000 cartons of alcohol are sold per day in Bengaluru, which fetches nearly Rs 4 crore per day. One or two days is fine, but if enforced for an extended period, alcohol begins to be hoarded and sold in black. For us, public safety is paramount," he said.
Ashish Kothare, head of National Restaurants Association's Bengaluru chapter, however, points that the figure is exclusive of taxes and other duties, claiming that ordering the closure of establishments like liquor stores, bars and restaurants has become a joke.
"Arrangements should be made for additional bandobast so that an entrepreneur can run his business in peace. He deserves as much protection as any other man on the road. It seems like police have started demanding closure at will," he said.
"The recent immersion of idols at Ulsoor Lake during Ganesha Chaturthi led to all the bars and restaurants in the area being closed. Not just the individual, even the government suffers due to this," Kothare rued.