Bhushan conducts public hearing on wine shop in E Delhi

Senior lawyer Prashant Bhushan conducted a public hearing on the situations arising due to a wine shop in residential areas of Karawal Nagar area of East Delhi. In the public hearing, the people passed a resolution demanding Delhi government to close the wine shop by September 11.

“People are suffering due to unrestricted opening of wine shops in residential areas and public places. We had drafted a policy to regulate wine shops in the city which was also incorporated in the political manifesto of Aam Aadmi Party but the government did not implement the policy even after around one-and-half-year in power,” said Prashant Bhushan addressing the gathering. 

Bhushan is one of the founding members of AAP but was expelled from the party immediately after Delhi Assembly election 2015. “After winning Delhi Assembly election, AAP has taken a U-turn on the issue. 

The proposed Swaraj Bill was thrown into the dustbin and objections of the local people were overruled to allocate wine shops,” he added. He further stressed that he was not against complete ban on wine in the city but only a public-friendly policy to regulate them. AAP MLA from Timarpur Pankaj Pushkar alleged that the government is not providing replies to RTI queries on excise policy even.

The public hearing was organised to address the concerns of the locals arising due to opening of a wine shop in Khajuri Khas area of Karawal Nagar in Delhi. People of the area particularly women participated in huge number and expressed their concerns. 

The license for the wine shop was granted by the AAP government which is barely 30m away from residential areas. “The local MLA overruled the objections of the people and gave his consent for the wine shop,” alleged the people present in the hearing. 

The residents also alleged that the incidents of chain snatching, eve teasing and molestation have increased in the area after the wine shop was opened.