Citing a “purpose to provide a global business ecosystem”, the Gujarat government on Friday exempted the Gujarat International Finance Tec-City (GIFT City) area in Gandhinagar from prohibition.
While “liquor access permits” will be given to owners and employees of companies in GIFT City, these companies can “authorise” visitors with “temporary permits” to “drink in the presence of the permanent employees”.
The relaxation comes barely three weeks before the launch of the 10th three-day Vibrant Gujarat Summit, which is expected to see the opening of the offshore campus of Australia’s Deakin University in GIFT City.
“GIFT City has emerged as a global financial and technological hub which is bustling with economic activities. An important decision has been taken on Friday to change the prohibition rules to allow ‘wine and dine’ facilities in the GIFT City area to provide a global business ecosystem to global investors, technical experts and national and international companies established there,” the state prohibition and excise department said in a statement.
“Under the new policy, hotels, restaurants and clubs in the GIFT City area will be given permits for wine and dine facilities,” it said. While liquor can be consumed in these facilities, they will not be allowed to sell liquor bottles, it said.
“Those officially working in GIFT City area and their official guests will be able to go to such hotels, restaurants and clubs for wine and dine facilities,” the statement said.
“All employees and owners of GIFT City will be provided liquor access permit, using which they can consume liquor. Besides this, persons authorised by the companies or their visitors can consume liquor in the presence of regular employees using a temporary permit,” the statement said.
Spread across 886 acres, GIFT City has a 261-acre multi-service Special Economic Zone (SEZ) and a 625-acre Domestic Tariff Area (DTA). It also houses the country’s first International Financial Services Centre (IFSC).
While corporates like IBMBank of America, HSBC, OracleBeefree, HSBC, Citibank, Deutsche Bank, PWC have already set up offices in GIFT City, about 20,000 people are estimated to be working there. However, only a little over one per cent of those working in GIFT City live in the area.
Sources said there are plans for housing projects, including high-end ones. The area has an international school, an under-construction hospital and a five-star hotel among other facilities.
In April 2022, Singapore High Commissioner Simon Wong had told The Indian Express in an interview that GIFT City is “quite a ghost town” after working hours.
