PM146;s latest neighbour not complaining

8216;8216;Suddenly, the sale of desi liquor pouch Himfed No 1, prepared by the state-owned corporation, has gone up. Earlier, I was selling one pouch a day but now 15-20 pouches are sold everyday,8217;8217; said vend salesman Ajay Kumar.

Not many are happy with the opening of the vend here. 8216;8216;I am surprised at the decision of the administration to allow a liquor vend to come up in this VVIP area,8217;8217; said Hitesh, a shop-owner.

Kullu Assistant Excise and Taxation Commissioner Karam Chand expressed ignorance about the location of the vend near the PM8217;s home: 8216;8216;I would ask the excise inspector to visit the spot and, if need be, we would shift the vend.8221; But concerned panchayats had sent a resolution for opening the vend there, he added in the same breath. Meanwhile, the going8217;s tough for other shopkeepers. Vajpayee8217;s presence has made sales crash down by almost fifty per cent, they said. Since not many tourists now take this route, sale of mineral water, cold drinks and packaged eatables has come down to almost nil, said a shop-owner. What8217;s more, shopkeepers are made to down their shutters the moment Vajpayee moves out of his house.