Kochi: Kerala High Court on Wednesday directed the excise department to ensure the functioning of no beer and wine parlours along the Kannur-Vengalam-Kuttippuram National Highway stretch violating the apex court restrictions.
PWD principal secretary informed the court that it did not have any confusion with regard to the status of the Kannur-Kuttippuram stretch and it continues to be an NH.
The court issued the order in the petitions filed by Congress leader V.M. Sudheeran and V.P. Ibrahim Kutty, councillor, Koyilandy municipality in Kozhikode.
The petitioners submitted that these roads were still in the schedule under Rule 2 of the National Highways Act, 1956.
In 2010, under section 11 of the National Highway Authority of India Act, 1988, the Union government had entrusted Kannur-Kuttippuram and Cherthala-Ochira-Thiruvananthapuram stretches to the NHAI for developing.
Later, it was entrusted back to the state government for maintenance and management. As on January 1, 2017, both these stretches were entrusted to the state government.
