Excise Min Nagesh warns bars, pubs with cancellation of licences if night curfew flouted

Bengaluru: Karnataka Excise Minister H Nagesh on Wednesday said liquor shops, bars and pubs should abide by the night curfew failing which their licences will be cancelled.

The Karnataka government on Wednesday announced imposing night curfew from Thursday from 11 pm to 5 am till January 1 to contain the spread of the novel coronavirus whose new variant has emerged.

”I have directed the Excise Commissioner and the deputy commissioners of excise across the districts to instruct the field officers not to allow any liquor shop, marts, pub, wine stores to operate after 11 pm. All of them should be shut down,” Nagesh told reporters in Kolar.

He said any violation would be dealt with severely.

”If at all we come to know about it then we will deal with it strictly and cancel the licences. They should not be allowed to open after 11 pm,” the minister said.

He said everyone has to follow the Standard Operating Procedure because allowing laxity will only result in rising COVID-19 cases.