Consider closing highway liquor shops: Madras high court to Puducherry

Chennai: The Madras high court directed the Puducherry government to dispose of, within one month, a representation which sought to close all liquor shops and bars along the national highways in the Union Territory of Puducherry.

A division bench comprising Chief Justice Sanjay Kishan Kaul and Justice M Sathyanarayanan disposed of a public interest litigation from advocate K Balu. Balu argued that several liquor shops were running along national highways in Puducherry.

The Union government had issued a circular on December 1, 2011, for strict enforcement of section 185 of the Motor Vehicles Act (prohibits drunken driving), to curb road accidents and removal of liquor shops along national highways.

But till date, the Puducherry government had not complied with the circular and was running liquor shops along the national highways. Therefore, with a view to save the lives of innocent people from drunken driving, he had sent a representation to the Puducherry government to close all liquor shops and bars along the national highways in Puducherry.

Since the number of road accidents was increasing every day due to drunken driving, he also approached the authorities for taking necessary steps to relocate or close all liquor shops along the national highways. But there was no response, he added.