Hyderabad: Notices were being issued to hotels, bars, wine shops located in such core areas to shift within 15 days.
“If city roads are treated as highways, where can we do business?” asked D. Venkateshwara Rao.
He said, “The SC rule was aimed at curbing drunken driving of heavy motor vehicles like lorries on highways. Do excise officials expect a lorry driver to park his vehicle in congested core areas of the city where there is no space even to park a two-wheeler, have a drink and leave? Do they expect a lorry driver to stop his vehicle in front of five star, three star hotels, prominent clubs and have liquor? This is a mindless decision taken by excise officials without assessing practical difficulties involved in the implementation process.”
Mr Rao noted that the Karnataka government amended the rule stating that “National Highway” or “State Highway” shall not include such parts of the National Highway or State Highway which are situated within the limits of Municipal Corporation, City or Town Municipal Council or such other authority having a population. It even amended the Karnataka Excise licenses (general conditions) Rule 1977.
Mr Rao demanded that the TS government make a similar amendment instead of harassing liquor traders.
Excise minister T. Padma Rao Goud said, “We have received representations from them over not to treat roads passing through core areas of the city as highways. The government is planning to bring an amendment along the lines of Karnataka state on this to resolve the issue.”
