Call for high level body for recommendations to curb crimes

The Association of Merchants of different trades and business houses in Puducherry today opposed the police direction to night time hotels and fast food centres to close their outlets by 11 pm citing occurrence of crimes.

Instead of tracking down the criminals, the police had been directing the night time eateries not to run their business beyond 11 pm This step was causing dislocation of the sources of livelihood of more than 5,000 families depending on the income earned through night hotels and fast food centres, association secretary MK Raman said here.

There was no justification for the police to direct night hotels to close business by 11 pm. A high-level judicial committee should be set up to look into the issue and recommend measures the authorities should take to prevent occurrence of crimes, he told reporters.