Rajahmundry: A section of liquor traders, with shops set up 50 metres from the highways, are willing to relocate if the state government gives them an alternative spot that does not dent their regular revenue.
The traders are skeptical about the commitment of the state government to public safety through emendations to the AP Excise Rule vis-s-vis the 50-metre proviso as it was facing a severe financial crisis and it intended to generate more revenue through the available means.
Some traders even blame the law enforcing authorities, including the police and excise officials, who are mollified once they receive a bribe. They say that when a vehicle is stopped by the enforcing authorities to carry out a breathalyzer test, the driver manages to squirm out of undergoing it by offering the official a bribe, thereby continuing to drive under the influence of liquor.
Liquor trader K. Nageswara Rao says, “Unless the state government comes up with a firm commitment and issues an order, which can stand in the court of law, by not allowing liquor outlets along highways, it is highly impossible to control of sale of liquor.”
