Amarvir Singh, General Secretary, Punjab Hotel and Restaurant Association
By Raju William
Ludhiana, June 23, 2017: Punjab Hotel and Restaurant Association has thanked Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh for amending law to save their business and jobs of thousands of workers employed in the hospitality industry in the state.
Suffering unmitigating losses since imposition of highway ban, the industry finally got relief as Punjab Vidhan Sabha on Thursday passed the Punjab Excise Act 1914 (amendment) Bill. This paved way for reintroducing supply of alcohol only for consumption at hotels, restaurants, clubs and other notified places within 500 metres of the state and national highways.
General Secretary, Punjab Hotel and Restaurant Association, Amarvir Singh said they owed another lease of life for their business to Chief Minister Amarinder Singh and his government. The industry was faced with imminent closure and resultant loss of thousands of jobs after the highway ban.
"But the Amarinder government heard us out and accepted our justified demand by amending the law. The state government has saved not only the hospitality industry from ultimate ruin but 17 other businesses associated with it including fruits and vegetable business fom being severely affected," he said on behalf of thousands of business members of their association across the state.
(Raju William can be reached at raju.william@gmail.com)