A Ba Town businessman has urged the government to review nightclub and liquor shop opening hours, saying current laws are harming local businesses and creating public-safety problems in the town. Anil Amin raised the concerns during the national budget consultation held in Ba on Thursday, telling officials that late-night crowds linked to alcohol sales are leaving shopfronts soiled and staff fearful for their safety.
“We have a lot of issues in Ba, especially for people roaming around town in the odd hours,” Amin told the consultation. “When you wake up the next morning and open your business doors, there is blood there, there are people urinating on the front door of the shops. This is because of the timings for the closure of the liquor shops and nightclubs.” He called on authorities to reduce opening hours for liquor sales, arguing that narrower trading windows would help police control crowds and limit disorder that affects commerce.
Amin also warned that women and young girls in Ba feel unsafe at night when attempting to access essential services. “They feel frightened to go to the ATM and withdraw their money because of unwanted people roaming around in town. So, these are issues affecting common people,” he said, framing the matter as both an economic and a public-safety concern for the town centre.
Finance Minister Esrom Immanuel acknowledged Amin’s submission at the consultation, saying security issues had been raised in previous budget consultations held in Sigatoka and Nadi. Immanuel’s response confirmed that concerns about late-night disorder and safety are being heard across multiple towns, though he did not indicate any specific policy changes or immediate commitments to amend liquor licensing rules or enforcement arrangements.
The intervention by Amin brings a business perspective into the government’s ongoing round of national budget consultations, which are intended to gather local feedback ahead of budget planning. Business owners in Ba are now publicly linking retail and service-sector losses to what they describe as permissive closing times for nightclubs and licenced premises — an argument that may prompt further discussion between municipal authorities, police and licensing bodies as submissions are collated.
So far, official responses have focused on acknowledging the complaints rather than setting out concrete next steps. Police, municipal councils and the licensing authority were not quoted at the Ba session, and it remains unclear whether Amin’s call for reduced trading hours will be taken up in the budget process or by agencies responsible for alcohol regulation and town safety planning.
Amin’s submission adds to a pattern of local concerns about security raised during the consultation tour, signalling that businesses and residents in multiple towns are seeking government attention to late-night public order and the practical effects of alcohol sale regulations on town centres.
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