Highway booze ban puts government in a bind

The Supreme Court has recently issued guidelines to all State governments to remove all liquor outlets located within 500 meters on the highways

Hyderabad: The State government is caught in a ‘ Catch 22’ situation on the shifting of licensed liquor outlets opened within a periphery of 500 meters on national and state highways. While the outlet dealers were demanding the de-notification on the highways to avoid a negative impact on liquor sales, government feared the maintenance of denotified highways would put a heavy burden on the State exchequer.

The Supreme Court has recently issued guidelines to all State governments to remove all liquor outlets located within 500 meters on the highways. The State government has identified nearly 60 percent of the total 3,000 liquor outlets ( including 2200 wine shops and 800 bars) were opened on highways. Court directed Telangana government to shift the wine shops before the renewal of the licenses in September this year.

On the insistence of liquor dealers, Telangana Excise and Prohibition Department held a meeting with State Roads and Buildings department and national highway authorities. The Roads & Buildings officials informed the Excise Department since more than 60 per cent shops of the shops were selling liquor on highways against court directions, the de-notification of all highways would not possible as the maintenance of such highways will a costly affair for the state government.

Officials said that the State government was not ready to denotify all the highways as demanded by the dealers. The option before the government was to denotify highways passing through on small stretches in the towns and municipalities where outlets were opened.

Considering the fact that the cost of the maintenance of these small stretches would put only a small burden, the State R and B department has taken up the survey in some big towns like Khammam, Karimnagar, Nizamabad, Warangal, Ramagundam, etc, where more number of liquor outlets were opened on highways. The department was preparing the estimates on the cost of the maintenance of the roads on each stretch in these towns. Based on the outcome, Government would take a decision.

In the case of outlets opened on vast stretches on highways outside the towns, officials said it was not possible to denotify such highways . For instance, on NH -65 connecting Hyderabad to Kodad, nearly 400 wine shops were selling liquor on highways .

The government is planning to relocate the shops out of 500 meters boundary as it would be a bit difficult to denotify the highways. The liquor dealers argued that the shifting their shops beyond 500 meters on highways would badly affect liquor sales.

Speaking to The Hans India here on Tuesday, the officials concerned said that the government was holding series of meetings with liquor dealers to address the issue and would come up with a solution in two weeks.

By Patan Afzal Babu