The State government seems to have found a way to circumvent the Supreme Court order preventing alcohol from being sold within 500 metres of a highway road.
The Commissioner of Municipal Administration has issued an order stating that roads belonging to various departments would be handed over to the respective Corporations/Municipalities in order for maintenance to be easier. In the order dated April 21, he has written to officials in-charge of local bodies asking them to bring in resolutions to that effect.
While this is the reason stated in the order, it is suspected that this is an effort to denotify highway roads in order to be able to serve alcohol without violating a Supreme Court order. Since the SC order kicked in on April 1, when all establishments thus positioned had to stop serving liquor the State government has been under pressure from the hotel industry, and clubs to find a solution to the issue, as it had impacted on the revenue and footfalls for the industry.
However the order skirts this issue completely. In his order, the Commissioner, Municipal Administration has said that the roads are to be taken over for better maintenance and quicker repairs, especially during times of rains or floods.
“It takes time for local bodies to get permission for emergency repairs and getting reimbursed later,” he said. Not just National and State Highways but major district roads and other district roads too are to be taken over by local bodies, according to the order.
