In a move that was pending for over a year, the excise department has shutdown the Hangover pub on 17th Cross in Sector 1. It is learnt that the action was taken after the Lokayukta ordered the shutdown when residents HE Chandrashekar and BN Ravichandra Reddy of Federation of HSR Residents Welfare Association petitioned the court for legal intervention. Though BBMP health officer Dr Savitha SK denied issuing a trade licence to Hangover, it was over-ruled by Veerabhadraswamy, the previous joint commissioner of Bommanahalli. However, when the Lokayukta ordered its cancellation due to flouting of rules, the present joint commissioner Dr Soujanya cancelled Hangover’s licence in November 2018. The pub was functioning without a licence ever since.
According to the residents who had complained to all the civic agencies, and the Lokayukta, the pub had flouted all building construction and trade rules. When we called the people at Hangover, they confirmed that the pub was shutdown last night due to “maintenance activity” and they will reopen in “3-4 days”. They deny that the excise department had anything to do with the closure. But we have the court order to prove that they are lying.
The shutdown order was given on January 23, but it was implemented on February 5. Onlookers also informed us that film star Puneet Rajkumar also visited the pub last night when the shutdown happened. Sources tell us that his family has a stake in the pub ownership. On record though, a company called Goldwing Ventures is the proprietor of Hangover.
