Chandigarh, Nov. 16 -- The Punjab and Haryana high court has sought response from the Punjab government on a public interest litigation (PIL) seeking declaration of Amritsar as 'holy city' and taking steps for the preservation of cultural heritage of the city. The petition filed by KS Raju Legal Trust was taken up by the bench of chief justice Sheel Nagu and justice Sanjiv Berry and has sought government response by December 16. The petitioner, Jagmohan Singh Raju, who had appeared in person also demanded that the Punjab government be directed to notify a complete ban on the sale/consumption of cigarette/tobacco products, liquor, and meat within the city limits and quash a decision of the government dated June 25, 2025, whereby his demand for the same was rejected by the government. Currently, prohibition of sale and consumption of liquor is within the walled city area under the Punjab Excise Act, 1914. Amritsar, founded in 1577 by Guru Ramdas, is one of India's most sacred and historical cities. It is home to sacred pilgrimage centres such as the Golden temple and Akal Takht, the Durgiana temple, Ram Tirath temple and Guru Ke Mehal Gurdwara, the birthplace of Guru Teg Bahadur. "Today the city receives lakhs of pilgrims and visitors each day from all parts of India and abroad. Almost 90% of them come for religious or spiritual reasons. Yet, despite its sacred status, the city's physical and moral environment has suffered serious decline. Liquor vends, meat shops and tobacco outlets have appeared along roads leading to the holy sites. Poor sanitation and civic neglect have further damaged the image of a city that should represent purity and discipline," the petition argued underlining that the state itself has acknowledged Amritsar's sanctity and that is why sale of liquor is prohibited within the walled city near the Golden temple. "However, this ban is limited to a small area and does not cover the greater municipal region through which pilgrims freely move. The spirit of prohibition, once accepted, cannot be restricted by arbitrary boundaries," it added. Raju had further submitted that the trust run by him in December 2024 approached the chief minister seeking declaration of Amritsar as a "Holy City" and extension of prohibition to liquor, meat and tobacco across the city. Similar demand was raised in January 2025 by the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC). However, the government has not agreed. The petition also claims that Amritsar is one of the filthiest towns of the country and in the Government of India ranking under the Swachh Bharat mission, Amritsar figured at the bottom of the list. Hence, respondents be directed to take steps for proper disposal of waste in the municipal limits and upgrade required infrastructure for the same and remove the dump site from Bhagtanwala to some other location....