Jharkhand Bar and Restaurant Association on Saturday demanded six-month concession in license fee from the State Government.

The Association requested to the Government that Bar and Restaurant businessmen will keep their establishments closed if the license fee of six months will not be waived.

Addressing a press meet to convey the message to the Government president Jharkhand Bar and Restaurant Association, Ranjan Kumar said that the Government order to recover Rs 9 lakh for renewal of license for just five months is unfair. He said that the order of the Government is disturbing the bar and restaurant businessmen.

“The State's bar businesses have been down since the last week of March due to the Corona epidemic. Although every business has been affected by this global epidemic, the hotel, bar and restaurant business has been affected the most. Many people associated with this business have become unemployed due to the closure of the bar business for the last seven months. The businessmen did not earn a single penny in these seven months, but they had to expense various things like rent, manpower and others which has caused a lot of loss to businessmen,” said Kumar.

The Association president further said that other types of businesses have started in the State from two to three months ago, while Bar and Restaurant owners have got the order to open their shops from November 1.

Speaking on the occasion the Association’s General Secretary Anit Singh, said that the excise department has prepared a draft to deposit the entire money for the license fee for the remaining five months of the current financial year, an order has also been issued which is not justified.

It may be noted here that there are a total of 140 licensed Bar and Restaurant in Jharkhand out of which 42 are in Ranchi.