The Gujarat government has issued a notification on a four-member panel that would be empowered to issue the wine and dine permits inside the GIFT City area, where prohobition has been lifted. The panel will be headed by the Additional Chief Secretary (Home).
The committee will have the final authority to interpret the government’s order of relaxation of the law in the new business hub of the state.
The other members of the panel – which will be called the ‘GIFT Facilitation Committee’ — apart from chairman Mukesh Puri, ACS (Home), include GIFT City Managing Director Tapan Ray, Gandhinagar District Collector HK Koya and Director of Prohibition and Excise Department LM Dindod.
Some immediate contenders for procuring an FL-3 license — which is required for having a wine and dining facility in the GIFT City area — can be Grand Mercure GIFT City Gandhinagar, which is a hotel, GIFT City Club, and an office canteen of Bank of America.
Listing the wide-ranging scope of work of the committee, the government resolution states that applications for an FL-3 license have to be made to the director of the Prohibition and Excise Department in the format prescribed and such applications will then be submitted to the GIFT Facilitation Committee by the prohibition department director after due scrutiny.
The Committee shall decide the premises in GIFT City where serving liquor, purchasing, and selling liquor will be permitted, subject to the imposition of conditions that the Committee deems fit.
The Government Resolution, undersigned by joint secretary Anand Bihola, further states that the Committee may also call for any relevant information from the director of the prohibition department, managing director of GIFT City, and FL-3 license holder or applicant for the implementation of the new policy in the GIFT City. The present committee shall have the “final authority in interpretation” in respect of the implementation of the policy, it underlines.
The Prohibition Act exemption in GIFT City will allow drinking in designated areas. It came into effect on December 30 with the state government issuing a gazette notification that laid down guidelines for the relaxation. FL-3 license will be issued to “any unit, situated in the GIFT City intending to serve liquor at the approved area”.
This can include establishments such as clubs, hotels, restaurants as well as office canteens, that intend to provide wine and dine facilities, according to a state prohibition department official.
Employees of GIFT City, who are above 21, will be issued a ‘Liquor Access Permit’ — valid for up to two years at a fee of Rs 1,000 — to avail of the wine and dine facilities.
Temporary permits for visitors of employees would be valid for only a day, with drinking allowed for the visitor only in the ‘wine and dine’ area and only if accompanied by a liquor access permit holder.
Such a grant of the permit will require the company’s seal as well as the signature of the recommending officer from the company. For GIFT City employees, a recommending officer shall prepare a list of employees desirous of obtaining a ‘Liquor Access Permit’ and shall send the same to the authorised officer of GIFT City, as per the guidelines. The authorised officer, shall then send the approved list to the director of the prohibition & excise department.
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