While India ushered in the historic Goods and Services Tax (GST) regime at the stroke of midnight on Friday, Bengalureans sang a soul-stirring dirge, mentally at least, to hundreds of the city's famed pubs which were ushered out.
After last-minute efforts by Chief Minister Siddaramaiah failed to save the city from the Supreme Court ban on liquor outlets that came into effect from 1 July, about 600 pubs, bars and liquor shops located within 500 metres of highways will go dry.
These include bars at 19 star hotels which attract foreign business visitors in droves every day. Few Western visitors would relish a "bar-closed" notice in hotels where they stay, and nothing less than panic has gripped the hospitality and software industries in India's IT capital.
After last-minute efforts by Chief Minister Siddaramaiah failed to save the city from the Supreme Court ban on liquor outlets that came into effect from 1 July, about 600 pubs, bars and liquor shops located within 500 metres of highways will go dry.
These include bars at 19 star hotels which attract foreign business visitors in droves every day. Few Western visitors would relish a "bar-closed" notice in hotels where they stay, and nothing less than panic has gripped the hospitality and software industries in India's IT capital.