After a video showing a crowd at Resign Sky bar at Gachiblowli went viral, officials with the Excise department along with police raised and sealed the premises on Monday. The video showed a crowd at the bar on a supposed weekday, most not wearing any masks and flouting physical distancing norms. The police booked the pub management for not following the Standard Operating Procedures as laid down by the police.
The video that went viral on social media showed a musical event at Resign Sky bar that was well attended. An activist on social media who shared the video informed the Special Crime Station and the Revenue department who then alerted the Excise department and asked for an inquiry and necessary action.
According to the Excise department in their statement to the press, a prima facie perusal of the video shows clearly that the waiters and other bar personnel were not wearing face masks. The department pointed out that the crowd gathered near the bar counter was in violation of COVID-19 SoPs issued to all pubs and bar owners ahead of Union governments unlock 3 guidelines. It was also pointed out by officials that the bar management took no effort to clear the crowd.
“It is obvious that the bar management did not follow the SoP for COVID-19 thereby putting their customers and staff members at increased risk of infection,” read the excise department press statement.
The Excise department has sealed and cancelled the bar licence of the establishment under section 31 of the Telangana State Excise Act. Under the AP Excise Rules, 2005 the department invoked Section 33 for employing persons to serve alcohol without prior approval from authorities and Section 38 for improper documentation.
Bars and pubs were allowed to reopen two weeks ago on September 26 after a span of 194 days. The state government had laid down rules for pubs and bars such as the prohibition on et together, musical events and performances on dance floors. Pubs were also required to operate only at 50 % capacity to prevent overcrowding.
This was the scene yesterday in a Pub in Hyderabad..
— Harish Daga (@HarishKumarDaga) October 8, 2020
How can we expect to control COVID with this attitude ..
Miss @musharraf_ias Saab’s presence in town to act on this..@Nabinder_TOI @umasudhir @CoreenaSuares2 @HiHyderabad @ZC_Khairatabad @Director_EVDM @RishikaSadam pic.twitter.com/ZxL9IKg0Ku