Though there is no permission to carry wine outside a licensed Bar and the licensed drunkards should take wine by sitting inside the Bar only, the situation of Rajshahi Bar adjacent to Rajshahi Parjatan Motel is different and any one can drink and purchase wine from this bar and even wine of bottles are allowed to take out of the bar as against the prevailing order. This Bar in Rajshahi is continuing its business by violating the orders of the Department of Narcotics Control and the Rajshahi Metropolitan police for a long time.
It is learnt the Bar is leased to private bar operators after every five-year period under certain terms and conditions. The lease holder, however, runs the bar without following any rules as imposed by the Department of Narcotics and Liquor and the Rajshahi Metropolitan Police during taking of the lease. Though this bar is operated under the license of the DNC, the authorities of DNC in Rajshahi have so far taken no step against this Bar for selling liquor by violating the terms and conditions of the lease imposed by the DNC. Not even the authorities of Parjatan Corporation took any step against the Bar authorities.
Rajshahi Metropolitan Police have issued a public notice on Dec-30 ( Friday) aiming to maintain law and order during the 31st Night. According to the notice, all wine bars, even legal ones, should remain closed from 30 December morning to 1st January-2023. But, the bar ( Parjatan Bar) is found to remain open even around 8-00 pm Friday and dozens of young men were seen to throng at the bar. There seems to be a 'traffic jam' of motor-bikes, rickshaws, autos and cars in front of this solitary bar. The Security In charge of the bar was requesting the customers not to go upstairs for the 'parcels' rather those are available downstairs. Security Guard Arif was seen to sell bottles of wine from inside the deep fridge of the garage downstairs. In addition to the price of the wine, each customer of the wine was inserting notes of Tk 100 or 200 denominations as tips inside a box kept on the table inside the garage. Some third-gender people were seen to purchase wine bottles at Tk 3,000 and left the place with those bottles.
Many people were seen purchasing wines and carrying those to their houses on Friday night as the bar will remain closed on 31st night. None of those were seen to show any permit to the wine seller and the wine seller was never seen to ask them about their licenses or the permits.
It is learnt, there are 360 licentiate wine consumers (drunkards) in Rajshahi of whom many died and at present the number of legal drug consumers is only 150 but in this Bar in Rajshahi at least 500 people regularly take wine and none of them have any licenses.
Even the Bar authorities never bother to see any license from the consumers rather they realise a
handsome sum of money from all as tips.
The money realised as tips from the illegal consumers are later among the workers of bars including the Manager of the Bar Abdur Razzak.
Manager Abdur Razzak, however, admitted that licenses or permits are not sought to be seen every time from the customers. He also said customers pay tips which are distributed among the workers of the bar. He further said, many people want to carry the wine in their houses that is why those are given inside packages though it is not allowed by the RMP and the DNC.
Regarding keeping the bar open even after the closure order of RMP, Manager said, DNC authorities have ordered them not to keep open the bar on 31st night but he has no idea about the directives of RMP.
When contacted RMP Spokesperson Rafiqul Islam, he took prompt action and a police team of Rajpara PS went to the bar on Friday night and the sale of wine was closed at the bar. But, on Saturday morning, the Bar was again seen to sell wine-bottles in parcels( packages) though a notice of closure of the bar was seen to hang in front of the bar. However, another police team from Rajpara again rushed to the bar and closed the sale of wines.
Alamgir Hossain, Deputy Director of DNC, Rajshahi informed, he went suddenly to visit the bar a week ago and he also observed irregularities in selling wine from there. He said he has warned the Bar authorities and would take action against the Bar if such irregularities continue, he added.
Manager( Commercial) of Bangladesh Parjatan Corporation ANM Mostadud Dastgir informed there is no scope to carry wine outside the bar. Only the licentiate drunkard are allowed to drink wine by sitting on the table of the bar. He also warned the Manager of the bar through telephone in this connection but failed to contact the lease-holder of the bar as he was living abroad.