Biz hit in walled city of Amritsar after holy tag

THE Punjab government's decision to ban the sale of meat, alcohol and tobacco in the "holy cities," including the walled city of Amritsar, has left local traders in limbo.

- HARPREET BAJWA @ Chandigarh

The move, aimed at preserving the sanctity of the area surrounding the Golden Temple, comes as a bolt from the blue for hundreds of families and their generations-old businesses as around 150 establishments selling such items are forced to shut shop. The step has irked local shopkeepers and vendors, who have decided to approach the Amritsar Deputy Commissioner, the municipal corporation commissioner and the mayor to hand over a memorandum to them in this regard. They also held a meeting in Gol Bagh to discuss the matter. They suggested that the implementation of the move should limited to an area demarcated around the Golden Temple and the Durgiana Mand