Punjab Government notifies 'Holy City' status for three towns to ban liquor, meat, and tobacco

Key facts

• The Punjab government issued a formal notification declaring the walled city of Amritsar, Sri Anandpur Sahib, and Talwandi Sabo as "Holy Cities of the State of Punjab."
• The notification directs that the government will "not to allow sale of liquor, tobacco and cigarettes, and meat within the precints of walled city and municipal limits of Sri Anandpur Sahib and Talwandi Sabo."
• The state government will "allocate necessary budget, and also seek funds from the central government" for the development, cleanliness, security, and promotion of religious tourism in these cities.
• The resolution for this status was passed on November 24 during a special session to mark the "350th martyrdom anniversary of Guru Tegh Bahadur."
• The three cities are home to three of the five ‘Takhts’ — "Sri Akal Takht Sahib (Amritsar), Sri Damdama Sahib (Talwandi Sabo) and Takht Sri Keshgarh Sahib (Sri Anandpur Sahib)."