NT NETWORK
PANAJI
The government will seek legal advice from state Advocate General Saresh Lotlikar as regards statewide implementation of the recent Supreme Court judgment banning all liquor shops within 500 metres of the national and state highways across the country.
Coming out with this information, Chief Minister Laxmikant Parsekar on Tuesday said that although he is yet to receive a copy of the particular order, he has already directed the state excise commissioner to immediately furnish the list of all liquor outlets situated within 500 metres of the national and state highways passing across Goa. “Although the Supreme Court judgment would come into force from April 1, next year, we are fast gearing up to implement the same, at the earliest, by drawing up an action plan,” he added.
It may be recalled that the apex court, with an aim to reduce drunk driving and road accidents, had recently passed a judgment that licences of all such existing liquor shops would not be renewed after March 31, 2017. A three-judge bench headed by Chief Justice T S Thakur had further ordered removal of all signboards of alcohol vends along highways.
Speaking to ‘The Navhind Times,’ the Chief Minister said that Goa being a small state, has majority of its roads in the form of national and state highways, and furthermore, here the major district roads are converted into state highways, and state highways converted into national highways under developmental projects. “Therefore, I predict that large number of liquor outlets in Goa would face the impact of the Supreme Court decision,” he said.
Parsekar, who also holds the Finance portfolio, maintained that approximately 50 per cent of the liquor outlets in Goa are within 500 metres of the national and state highways and their shutdown could adversely affect the state tourism, in turn affecting the state economy.
As per the available figures, the excise department has issued approximately 11,100 licences to shops for sale of liquor, with many of these outlets now facing closure following the Supreme Court order.