New Delhi: Days after the excise department issued a diktat allowing only "live singing and playing of instruments" at restro-bars in the city, Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia on Tuesday said that there is no ban on recorded music in these establishments.
Sources said that the deputy chief minister pulled up the top officers of the excise department as to why the order was issued without its file being shown to him.
Sisodia, who also holds the charge of the excise department, pulled up the excise officers for "creating confusion" by issuing the May 16 order which stated that "only live singing and playing of instruments" are allowed in restro-bars.
Following Sisodia's directions, the excise department on Tuesday issued a fresh circular in the evening, stating, "On the issue of playing of recorded music in the restaurants music, no new direction has been issued by the excise department."
However, the circular, issued on Tuesday, cited the same excise rules which it had mentioned in May 16 order.
"The circular of the excise department is to be understood only in the limited context of para Rule 53 (4) and nothing more should be read out of it," the fresh circular stated.
Early in the day, Sisodia issued directions to Excise Commissioner Amzad Tak, asking him to issue clarification order that there is no ban on recorded music in restro-bars.
In his order to Tak, the deputy chief minister said that the excise department has issued the order without "its file being shown to him".
Last week, the excise commissioner had said that as per the Rule 53 (4) of the Delhi Excise Act, 2010, the restro-bars cannot play recorded music, and they are only permitted for live signing and playing of instruments by professionals in their premises instead.
The department had warned the owners of the restro-bars of taking "strict action" for the violation as per law. The order was issued after it received complaints from local residents regarding "nuisance" created by the restro-bars in the city.
However, the deputy chief minister said that it has been brought to his notice that the department order has been "misinterpreted".
"Though the file was not shown to me before issuing the order. However, after perusal of the order, I have found that the order is not posing any ban of such nature....
"Considering the confusion created by misinterpretation of the order, the excise department needs to issue a clarification order with respect to above (regarding banning of recorded music)," Sisodia said in the letter.
The deputy chief minister has asked the excise commissioner to submit compliance report to him by tomorrow.
In its order on May 16, the excise department had said, "L-17 (restaurants which serve food and alcohol to their customers) is permitted only to have live singing/playing of instruments by professionals within his licensed premises."
"Violation of these rules shall lead to strict action as per law," it had said.
Following the excise department's order, a national restaurant body on Monday said that such violation should be dealt on a "case-to-case basis" and termed the blanked ban on recorded music "erroneous" in nature.
According to a senior member of the excise department's policing body, the department's team takes action against restro-bars if they are found violating the Rule 53 (4) of Delhi Excise Rules.
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