Bhubaneswar: The State Government has allowed the engagement of women to perform musical programmes and orchestra in the bars with certain restrictions. The Excise Department has brought a notification to this effect today.
The Department has included the provision under the Odisha Excise Rules, 2017.
“Provided that women, not below 21 years of age may be engaged in musical Programme or Orchestra in the licensed ON shop premises having a bar License to sell foreign liquor and IMFL for consumption on the premises with prior written permission of the Commissioner,” read the notification.
The Excise Commissioner will impose the following conditions before granting the permission.
The premises will be fixed with Closed Circuit Television (CCTV) cameras at appropriate places including the performance stage and with appropriate mechanism to ensure that the said facilities cannot be tampered with and switched on round the clock.
The recorded footage of CCTV cameras will be made available to the jurisdictional inspector-in-charge (IIC) of Police Station as well as officer-in-charge (OIC) of Excise Station.
If the CCTV cameras do not function, the bar owner will immediately report to the concerned OIC of the Excise Station as well as the Police Station in which jurisdiction the licensed premise is located.
The musical programme or orchestra will be stopped forthwith as and when the CCTV cameras become dysfunctional. The associated hard disc in such CCTV systems must have the capacity to store data for a minimum period of three months, as per the order.
The bar licensee will have to make an application along with either voter ID card or Aadhar card and clear photograph of the performers, taken within 6 month of such application whom they seek to engage in the musical programme or orchestra, containing the names and details of the performers.
The government has also made it clear that performers should wear clothes keeping public decency in mind.
The performance stage should be bounded with a railing of three feet height and there should be minimum five feet distance between the railing and the seats for customers:
A register will be maintained by the licensee to keep records of names and local residential address of women performing in the musical programme or orchestra every day, which should be produced before an inspecting Police Officer or Excise Officer on demand:
It is the responsibility of the licensee to gather and verify the information regarding name, local address, photograph and citizenship of the performers before applying for such permission.
No women having been charge-sheeted by Police for involvement in Immoral Trafficking (Prevention) Act, 1956 can be engaged for performing in the musical Programme or Orchestra, it said.
The performers will not be awarded by the customers directly, either by paying money or by showering anything which can be converted into money.
If any customer wants to award a performer, the same shall be handed over to the manager of the licensed premises concerned. The licensee will have to display the license prominently on the walls of the Place of performance.
Subject to the provisions of the prohibition of smoking in public places rules, no person will be allowed to smoke and no licensee or his nominated manager or managers can permit smoking in the establishment.
Separate washroom and locker facilities should be provided for performers so engaged. The applicant or licensee will be holding the certificate regarding fire safety from the competent authority.
The establishment will have to issue a photo ID card to each performer so engaged which shall be carried by that employee at all times during the period of duty.
Adequate private security measures must be taken by the licensee to prevent sexual or other harassment in any form of any woman engaged in his/her licensed premises.
The bar owners must ensure the safety of women engaged in his/her ON shop by providing free and suitable travel arrangements to her place of residence, either temporary or permanent.
The licensee is to submit a letter of consent by the performer along with medical fitness certificate and permission of competent authority as regards regulation and control in use of loudspeakers in terms of the Noise Pollution (Regulation and Control) Rules, 2000 must be obtained.