A private matter

After officials of AECOM, the project manager for Dholera Industrial City (DIC), took prospective investors through a detailed presentation explaining its USP, an official from the US consulate asked if the prohibition law in force in Gujarat could be a hindrance in wooing the global business community. When no answer was forthcoming from either DIC or AECOM officials, Mamta Verma, industries commissioner with the government of Gujarat, took up the task: Prohibition wouldn’t come in the way if one took a permit online and drank liquor privately, she said. Her audience could be seen breaking into a grin.