Stricter prohibition law makes large number of Gujarati revelers to ‘move out’ for new year parties

Ahmedabad: The stricter prohibition law in Gujarat, already a ‘dry state’, has prompted many revelers to opt for nearby ‘non-restricted’ places including union territories of Diu, Daman and Sivassa and popular tourist destinations in neighbouring Rajasthan like Mount Abu, Udaipur, Ranakpur and Kumbhalgarh etc for the coming new year party.

Many of those opting to go out of the state for new year and December 31st parties are understood to be those who on earlier occasions remained parts of such revelry in various party plots and farm houses in Gujarat.

Travel agents who are in to package trip kind of business says that there was a surge in the booking for hotels at these places from people of Gujarat this time around . Many of them might be going by their own vehicles but many others have also booked vehicles and luxury buses for that. ‘This is despite the dull market post demonetization. In fact this is a big opportunity and excuse for the liquor-lovers and they don’t want to miss it out. Gujarat has become a very ‘risky’ place for the same now,’ one of the online travel booking agent said today.

‘In fact the recent anti liquor raids and especially the one in Vadodara during which many big-wigs including the former IPL commissioner Chirayu Amin were nabbed by police from a farm house, people in Gujarat have become very cautious about a booze party,’ another travel and hotel booking agent said claiming that the surge in booking was around 30 % as compared to last year.

‘See this is about the new year party held once a year and even the occasional drinkers, go high but the risk has also gone very high this time around with passage of new law. So the option to move to safer zones was the best one,’ he further said.

He said that this time Diu and Daman and such other places have left otherwise the most liked Gujarati’s tourist destination of Mount Abu behind. The weather in Mount Abu which gets it a big plus during summers is a minus on this occasion.

One such reveler who was going to Diu for the party said that the recent raids and stricter prohibition law have made ‘party-creatures’, who took chances earlier for a booze very scary. ‘The tv footage of Vadodara farm house raid incident showing women of very well-off families being dragged in to police van for blood test has left quite a lasting impression. No one would like its repetition with him/her,’ he said adding that the best and easy option is to move to places where there won’t be any fear element ie where the consumption of liquor is allowed.

DeshGujarat