Vijayawada: The excise department’s decision to allow setting up wine shops and bars at one place is creating nuisance in various localities in the city, specially in the evenings. There are around 9 wine shops, bars and restaurants located within a radius of 500 metres on Panta Kalva Road, Auto Nagar, following the earlier directions of Supreme Court.
From Ibrahimpatnam to Bhavanipuram, there are nearly 15 wine shops with permit rooms, bars and restaurants. Unauthorised parking is leading to traffic snarls on the Panta Kalva Road, on which the excise department is tight-lipped. With only minimum number of traffic constables available at any given point of time, the police are not able to control the evening rush or prevent traffic snarls.
The court explained that its December 15, 2016 ban only relates to places near highways which link cities, towns and villages. The Supreme Court has clarified that its nationwide ban on sale of liquor within a distance of 500 mts along the national and state highways does not extend to municipal areas. The court, in its order dated July 11, 2017, which was uploaded on the Supreme Court website has clarified that the 500-mt ban does not prohibit licensed establishments within municipal areas.
“The purpose of the directions contained in the order dated December 15, 2016 is to deal with the sale of liquor along and in proximity of highways, which provide connectivity between cities, towns and villages. The order does not prohibit licenced establishments within municipal areas. This clarification shall govern other municipal areas as well. We have considered it appropriate to issue this clarification to set at rest any ambiguity and to obviate repeated recourse to IAs [interlocutory applications], before the court,” a Bench of Chief Justice of India J.S. Khehar and Justices D.Y. Chandrachud and L. Nageswara Rao held.
In short, stretches of highways running within the city limits are now, by default, exempt from the liquor ban. The clarification comes as a huge relief for bar and hotel owners who were forced to shut down operations post the December 15 ban. When contacted, deputy commissioner (prohibition and excise) Satya Prasad said the order will have certain impact on the existing wine shops, which are being located at one place on the outskirts or residential localities far from the city.
