Holy City: Punjab Govt Begins Shifting Liquor Meat Kiosks Out of Amritsar Walled City

Officials of the Amritsar Municipal Corporation said a detailed survey has identified around 150 temporary shops and stalls operating within the walled city. These include meat shops, pan-bidi kiosks and carts selling boiled eggs, particularly in areas such as the Old Telephone Exchange near Shastri Market and Katra Jaimal Singh. Several other locations, including Hathi Gate, Lohgarh Gate, Hakiman Gate, Bhagtanwala Gate, Guruwali Gate, Guru Bazaar, Lahori Gate, Namak Mandi and surrounding areas were also found to have vendors selling non-vegetarian food and tobacco products, officials said.

Amritsar Hotel and Restaurant Association president Surinder Singh said that excise department has not issued liquor vend licences within the walled city, nevertheless some illegal liquor sale was taking place. The government decision will not impact around 650 hotels and guest houses near the Golden Temple as they do not serve liquor or non-vegetarian food to pilgrims, he said.

Meanwhile, a wholesale fish trader in Amritsar, Yuvraj Singh, expressed concern over the move. Nearly 60,000 people are linked to the fish trade, supplying fish across Punjab and neighbouring states, doing business worth several crores of rupees, he said, adding that these traders would face temporary unemployment if the market is shifted without proper rehabilitation.

Yuvraj urged the state government to prioritise rehabilitation, stating that restaurants, hotels and eateries dependent on fish supply from the walled city market would also suffer losses. The Aam Aadmi Party-led government recently declared parts of Amritsar, Talwindi Sabo and Sri Anandpur Sahib as holy cities. Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann announced the decision in a video message on December 21. Following this, the sale of meat, fish, alcohol, tobacco and other intoxicants were banned in these areas.