Liquor vends, eateries defy night curfew norms in Ludhiana

Nikhil Bhardwaj

Tribune News Service

Ludhiana, January 4

Despite the state government imposed night curfew from 10 pm to 5 am, most of the liquor vends and a few eateries in the industrial hub were least bothered about the instructions given by the Ludhiana Deputy Commissioner Varinder Kumar Sharma.

A correspondent with a lensman took a round of the city after the curfew was imposed at 10 pm. Liquor vends at the Jawala Singh chowk, near Haibowal police station, adjoining the Ludhiana Police Lines, Rajpura chowk, Model Town, Pakhowal road, Gill Road, Near Grand Walk Mall, etc, were seen serving liquor to customers.

Then came the city’s heart Fountain Chowk, where all other eating joints, commercial establishments, including Pavillion Mall, were found closed after 10 pm, but a famous restaurant, ‘Basant Ice cream’, owned by a Congress leader, was found serving customers. Notably, the restaurant is near the official residences of government officials, including Police Commissioner Gurpreet Singh Bhullar and the DC. Earlier during the lockdown amid Covid, an FIR was also registered against the outlet for violating the night curfew norms.

An eatery at the Haibowal chowk, near Pavillion Mall, was also found opened.

After 11 pm, some liquor vends downed their shutter partially and some eateries in the Civil Lines area were found making home deliveries. However, all restaurants and eateries in Ghumar Mandi

and Sarabha Nagar market were found closed after 10 pm.

At some places, police officials were also seen asking shopkeepers to close their shops.