Journalist members of the Press Club of India in Delhi are angry, not because of some political or ideological issues, but over alleged higher prices of alcoholic drinks served in the club.

A flyer from the club’s members appeared on social media on Sunday, where the journalist members of the Press Club of India were seen complaining about the increased rates of liquor in the club, calling it a loot.

Now, this has ignited a conversation over the comparative liquor prices in Press clubs across the country, rendering our journalistic eminences quite a puzzle.

Image posted on Twitter by Sanjay Kaw

Be it a long reporting assignment on the field or after a heated debate in a TV studio, a chilled beer at one of the Press Clubs is a journalist’s last refuge to call it a day.

As the temperatures in the country alongside the political cauldron have soared high, so have the liquor prices at Delhi’s Press Club of India. This seems to have added to the worry of PCI members who have taken it upon themselves to ask the administration over the increased liquor prizes at the club.

The Press Club which hosts its own restaurant-cum-bar on its premises in Lutyens Delhi serves a host of liquor varieties including Vodka, Brandy, Whisky, Rum, and Beer of various labels at the disposal of its members and guests. The PCI members however are miffed with the body over the increased prices. They have alleged that PCI members are being looted over this for several years.

Alleging that the liquor in PCI is costlier than that served in other press clubs, the members have published a flyer that contains a chart comparing liquor prices of various labels served at PCI, Foreign Correspondents Club (FCC) in Delhi, and Chandigarh Press Club.

According to the chart, a 30 ml serving of Johnny Walker Black Label costs Rs. 260 /- at PCI while it is available at Rs 200 and Rs 250 respectively at FCC and CPC. Kingfisher small beer costs Rs 105 per 30 ml serving while the same costs Rs 95 and Rs 62 at the other two clubs.

Journalists and media personnel who are members of the PCI are calling this ‘The Great Press Club of India Loot’. While prices in Delhi and Chandigarh can be different because of different tax rates, it is indeed interesting that prices in the Press Club of India are much higher compared to the Foreign Correspondents Club, both of which are located in Lutyens Delhi.

Further, the members have asked why all the schemes on liquor granted to them have been stopped. They also alleged that complementary liquor given by companies has gone missing in recent times. “Where is the complimentary liquor from companies meant for the Press club members going missing?” the flyer asks. The aggrieved members also asked why some brands of liquor are not made available to them, and why the prices of food and drinks were increased without informing them. The members have also complained about the same menu and food served at the club for years at high rates.

Interestingly, it is quite a revelation that companies offer complimentary liquor to the Press Club of India.

When Senior Journalist at The Asian Age and Deccan Chronicle, Sanjay Kaw posted the flyer on Twitter, Chander Shekhar Luthra, Joint Secretary at PCI responded and refuted the allegations. He said that the prices have been increased in order to meet the monthly expenditure at the club. In his rebuttal, he also blamed the increase in food prices for losses incurred by PCI on food. “PCI has not increased any food prices after Covid despite this failed govt has failed to check the food inflation…” he tweeted while targeting the Central government.

It should be mentioned that the Press Club of India is a meeting point for the journalists, with a campus located in Lutyens Delhi, near the Parliament. Starting in the 1930s, the present premises were allotted to the Club by the government. The Club offers services including a conference room, a media center, an indoor games room, and a gymnasium for its members alongside a bar and a restaurant. Recently, the club was caught in a controversy when it cancelled Filmmaker Vivek Agnihotri from hosting a press conference regarding ‘The Kashmir Files’ at its conference hall.

References:

opindia.com