The Jammu and Kashmir administration on Sunday declared a half-day holiday and a ‘dry day’ on January 22 on the occasion of the Ram temple consecration ceremony in Ayodhya.

"It is hereby ordered that half-day public holiday (till 02:30 pm) shall be observed on January 22 in the Union territory of Jammu and Kashmir," an order issued by Commissioner Secretary General Administration Department (GAD) Sanjeev Verma said.

The Union territory administration issued the order while referring to the grant of a half-day holiday to central government employees by the Ministry of Personnel, Public Grievances and Pensions (Department of Personnel & Training) regarding the consecration event in Ayodhya.

In another order, the administration declared that liquor shops will remain closed for 36 hours in view of the consecration ceremony.

"Dry Day is hereby declared on the 22nd day of January in the Union territory of Jammu and Kashmir. No sale of liquor shall be allowed from the retail vends on this day in the Union territory," Excise Commissioner Pankaj Kumar Sharma in an order issued on Sunday.

As per the order, all wine shops and vends off-premises shall close at 9 pm on January Sunday, January 21 and re-open at 9 am on January 23. Vends and bars in hotels, restaurants, clubs, banquets have been ordered to close at 11 pm on January 21 and re-open at 10 am on January 23, it said.

It further said that any permission granted to serve liquor to an establishment or private person for any social occasions on January 22 “be treated as cancelled ab initio”, it said.

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