If highways turn into city roads, liquor ban doesn't apply

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Liquor shops, bars and permit rooms that operate within 250 metres from highways are likely to get relief as the state government is mulling the denotifying of highways and granting them status of city roads.

The denotification will happen for highways passing through cities and towns where ring roads have been constructed. In cities like Mumbai, where considerable stretches of highway pass through thickly populated areas and marketplaces, such roads will be handed over to local authorities.

The move is aimed at saving businesses, and annual revenue to the tune of Rs 7,000 cr that the government is set to lose following the Supreme Court's ruling of banning liquor shops, vends and restaurants situated off highways. The apex court said prohibition would reduce the increasing number of highway accidents.

State excise minister Chandrashekhar Bawankule told reporters on Saturday that out of 25,000 licensed units, 15,000 were set to pull down shutters in view of the court order. He said the decision of denotifying highways wasn't new but was as per an old government resolution. "Many local bodies have demanded that highways be denotified, and this isn't an escape route," he said, adding that shops, vends who shift base would not be charged transfer fee.

The Apex Court amended its earlier order on Friday when the order was interpreted to have affected only retail shops. But, the court said in a revised order, that even permit rooms, in-house vends and restaurants would not be allowed to sell alcohol off the highways. However, the court relaxed its order curtailing the distance to half from 500 metres.

The issue was raised in the Assembly as well. Sena MLA Pratap Sarnaik asked for bailing out businesses saying it would affect the state economy and take away thousands of jobs. Sources in the excise department said the government has already denotified some highway stretches in a few district headquarters.