The election in Kerala is having a spill-over effect in the border areas of Karnataka with the Mysuru district administration declaring dry days in areas of H.D. Kote taluk coming within 3 km of the inter-State border.
The Mysuru district administration has issued orders to not only close all liquor shops, but also banned sale, transport and storage of liquor since Saturday evening till the conclusion of polls on Monday evening and on the day of counting (May 19).
New move
A ban on sale of liquor is normally imposed only in areas going to the polls, but this time dry days have been declared even in neighbouring areas.
“The orders were issued following a request from Kerala, where prohibition is already in force,” Superintendent of Police, Mysuru, Abhinav Khare told The Hindu.
Tourist arrivals
Though the border areas in Karnataka had reported arrival of a large number of tourists for consumption of alcohol after Kerala introduced prohibition, with locals even terming it “alcohol tourism”, Joint Commissioner of Excise, Mysuru division, Somashekarappa said there were no authorised liquor shops within a distance of 3 km from the Kerala border in H.D. Kote.
Additional Deputy Commissioner of Mysuru, T. Venkatesh, said the order on dry days in H.D. Kote had to be issued to prevent people from even transporting liquor within the areas bordering the poll-bound State.
Licence to serve
Mr. Khare, however, said some resorts on the Karnataka–Kerala border had licence to serve liquor inside the resorts even though the liquor shops in the area were closed.
According to an order issued by Deputy Commissioner C. Shikha, the dry days will be in force till Monday evening, besides from 6 a.m. on counting day (May 19) till midnight.
Order will be in force till Monday evening, besides from 6 a.m. on counting day (May 19) till midnight
