04 April,2017 07:48 AM IST | | Faisal Tandel and Silky Sharma
After SC announced a nationwide ban on liquor shops and pubs and restaurants along the highway, AHAR has sought to plead to the state govt to de-notify the order for selling liquor within city limits
AHAR president Adarsh Shetty. Pic/Suresh Karkera
Three days after the Supreme Court announced a nationwide ban on liquor shops and pubs and restaurants along the highway, the Association of Hotels and Restaurants (AHAR) has sought to plead to the state government to de-notify the order for establishments selling liquor within city limits, as it is rendering lakhs of people jobless.
Adarsh Shetty, president of AHAR, said there are 25,000 bars, permit rooms and liquor shops in Maharashtra, "We suspect that the government will lose a revenue of Rs 50,000 daily from each bar." The government, it appears, knows about the loss. "Out of 25,000 licences, we have cancelled around 16,000, which will cost us a Rs 7 crore loss every year," said Pradeep Pawar, deputy commissioner of the state excise department.
Will meet CM
Meanwhile, Shetty now plans to meet the CM. "There was no hearing for us. We took opinions of two former Supreme Court judges, who claimed that the order would not be applicable within city limits, but the result was totally different. We will meet the chief minister and other government authorities and see that the de-notification is done, so that we can survive in the market," added Shetty.
"We will also meet the municipal commissioner of Mumbai and ask them to take some state highways passing through the city under their jurisdiction, so that the ban doesn't apply," added Shetty.
Affects five-stars too
The ban will also affect five-star hotels like the Sahara Star and Grand Hyatt that are located along the Western Express Highway, near the airport. "Earlier, they thought that it will be applicable for them to sell liquor, but later they too were given a notice to follow the Supreme Court order. Such a situation affects the hotel industry and its staff. We can't even think of shifting the hotels inside the city limits, as we have to carry out 32 licenses to be clear, which is not at all possible. We don't have any other option," added Shetty.
Bar-owning brothers threaten suicide
Brothers Sachin and Sandeep Thackeray from Buldhana are owners of Ekant Wine, Bar and Restaurant in Buldhana district, located just 350 metres off the state highway, near the Jalna-Nava road. However, authorities have sealed the liquor in their establishment since the order. "In 2015, taking all the licenses and renovation, we turned our hotel into a bar and restaurant on a loan of around Rs 10 lakh. Now we have to follow the SC's decision, but how will we pay the loans? There is no business; the staff are jobless," said Sandeep. They have written to Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, seeking a solution to the SC order, otherwise they will commit suicide.
