Liquor ban: States to move Supreme Court, looking to denotify roads

Union Road, Transport and Highways ministry officials said on Tuesday that they have received ‘several requests’ from some states a to convert National Highways as district roads apparently to protect revenues. 

Among the states considering moving court is Goa, whose Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar said his government is contemplating approaching the Supreme Court for proper clarification (on the order), and possibly (seek) some special consideration for the state. 

The Kerala government on Tuesday said it will seek time from the Supreme Court to implement its order banning the sale of liquor along highways, taking into account the ‘special situation’ in the state. The decision was taken at a meeting held by Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan. 

The Chhattisgarh government has meanwhile constituted an 11-member committee to study the excise policy of other states where liquor is banned or is being sold under supervision. Some road stretches were denotified in Rajasthan but officials said that it had nothing to do with the Court order.

In Delhi, the Road, Transport and Highways ministry officials are in a fix as they have received peculiar requests to denotify national highways when the Centre plans to take the length of such roads to 2 lakh km from the existing about 1 lakh km. Others like Punjab, Telangana, Kerala, Goa and Haryana had also made such requests but that is still to come in writing, the official said.