the goan I network
MARGAO
Pinning hopes on the opinion of State Advocate General and Union Attorney General that bars and restaurants do not come under the purview of the Supreme Court ban, a delegation of the All Goa Bar and Restaurant Owners’ Association has decided to call on the Chief Secretary and the Excise Commissioner to keep in abeyance the process on issuing closure notices to bars and restaurants as per the SC order.
The Association has further decided to demand that the new government that assumes power after March 11 come out with a State Excise policy that will protect the bars and restaurants in the State from the purview of the Supreme Court order. A suggestion was made by one of the members to boycott the forthcoming Panchayat election, in protest over the government’s decision not to bail out the bar and restaurant owners in this hour of crisis.
These decisions were taken at a meeting of the Association at Longuinhos restaurant in the city here on Thursday evening, which was attended by bar owners from Salcete and outside.
Addressing the media after the deliberations, Association President Michael Carassco demanded to know why the Excise Commissioner mulls issuing closure notices on the bar and restaurant owners if the State Advocate General and Union Advocate General says that bars and restaurants do not come under the purview of the Supreme Court ban. “If the bars and restaurants do not come under the SC order as per the Advocate General’s opinion, why is the Excise Commissioner bracing up to issue notices on these owners. That’s the reason why the Association members will call on the Chief Secretary and the Excise Commissioner to draw their attention to the opinions given by
the Attorney General,”
Michael said.
He said the only option left for the Excise Commissioner following the opinion given by the Advocate General is to seek clarification from the Supreme Court on the status of the bars and restaurants falling within the 500 meters from the National and State highways.
As far as the long term solution is concerned, Michael pointed out that bar and restaurant owners will call on the new MLAs after March 11 to adopt a resolution in the Legislative Assembly, to work out a new Excise policy for the State of Goa. “We have received legal opinion that the Supreme Court order will not be applicable for Goa if the State comes out with its own Excise policy,” he added.
Some of the members sounded critical of the Goa government for its stand not to intervene in the Supreme Court order and help the beleaguered bar and restaurant owners and their families. They pointed out that since the government represents the people of Goa, it was its bounden duty to protect the families, whose livelihood is being threatened in the event the Supreme Court order is implemented across the State.
