SC order: Liquor outlets on highways face a tricky June 30 deadline

As per the Supreme Court’s order, 156 wine shops on the state and national highways passing through the district, have to be relocated within a month failing which they will face cancellation of licences.

Shop owners have no other option but to relocate by June-end so as to get their licenses renewed. The Supreme Court had ordered prohibiting sale of liquor within 500 metres of national and state highways. As per the modified order, liquor shops in 500-metre radius of highways in the municipal areas with population exceeding 30,000 are banned while it is 220 metres in areas having a population less than 20,000.

The order has badly hit wine shops, bars and restaurants, boarding and lodging establishments and MSIL thereby affecting the Excise revenue of the government. As per statistics from the Excise department, there are 156 bars on the state and national highways that run through the district. The licenses of all the bars of the district will expire by June and need to be renewed.

As per the new order, shop owners seeking a renewal have to identify a spot which is away from the highway, highly populated areas, schools, colleges and hospitals and provide information to the Excise department only after which their license would be renewed.

Notices served

The revenue from sale of liquor in the district for the year 2015-16 is Rs 625 crore (Rs 75.95 crore from beer alone) and Rs 658 crore (Rs 124.49 crore from beer) in the year 2016-17. District Wine Merchants’ Association president Anil Kumar said that there is no question of violating the court’s order.

“We have to either relocate the shop or close it as there is no other option. It is very difficult to get right areas to set up shop in such a short notice. On an average, the traders have to suffer a loss of around 40%,” he said.

Excise Deputy Commissioner Gopalakrishna Gowda told DH that notices have already been issued to wine shop owners on highways. As per SC order, they have to relocate before June. If their shops are relocated, it will surely take time for them to set up their business, he said.

Teams have been constituted under the leadership of Deputy superintendent of excise in every taluk to curb illegal sales of liquor. The public can also inform the department if they come across illegal sale of liquor, growing of marijuana and sale of hooch, Gopalakrishna said.