PANAJI: Liquor retailers, bars and restaurants afflicted by the Supreme Court’s highway liquor ban are due for relief with the government set to measure the 500-metre distance from national and state highways by approachable road.
The decision to review the method of measuring distance has been taken after Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar agreed recently to requests from affected stakeholders. A senior official in the excise department on Thursday confirmed the Chief Minister’s assent and said that official communication from the finance department is awaited for implementation.
Around 500 liquor retailers, bars and restaurants will be revived once excise officials start measuring distance from approachable roads, according to Dattaprasad Naik, president, Goa Liquor Dealers Association (GLDA).
He said that members of the Association are thankful to the Chief Minister for the relief, as several liquor shops and restaurants will reopen for business. He said that the industry is hopeful of further relief through de-notification of stretches of state highways that pass through cities. “If the Chief Minister gives his permission for de-notifying, an additional 700 outlets will be saved,” said Naik.
Owners of liquor shops, bars and restaurants had asked for changes in the method of measuring the distance. The excise department was measuring distance from highways in a straight manner but stakeholders demanded that the distance be measured through accessible road.
Currently, around 2,200 liquor outlets are closed in Goa due to the apex court order directing closure of ‘liquor outlets along 500 metre distance from national and state highways.’
The apex court order came into effect from April 1 and it initially affected 3,210 liquor outlets out of 11,974 liquor licence holders. However, a relaxation in the order by way of reducing the distance to 220 metres (for towns with population of less than 20,000) saved around 1,000 outlets from closure.
“After the excise department adopts the changed way of measuring distance and after state highways are de-notified, around 1,000 bars and restaurants will finally be affected by the SC order,” said Naik.
The apex court order is to check road accidents caused by drunk driving.
Naik, who addressed the media, said, “Goa’s road accidents have shot up after the SC order came into force and despite closure of 2,200 liquor outlets.” He said that proximity of liquor shops to highways is not the only cause of accidents. The press briefing was attended by several liquor shop, bar and restaurant owners.
