SC order on highway denotification to permit liquor outlets applicable through out India
The question will the SC order of Tuesday apply to Bengaluru.
The Supreme Court's verdict in which it said that roads within cities can be denotified as national highways will set a precedent. The order of the Supreme Court is applicable for the entire country and would come into effect once states denotify roads within the cities as national highways.
The order of the court delivered on Tuesday was based on a challenge made to the decision of the Punjab government. The government had denotified roads within the cities as national highways.
States can denotify highways in cities to permit liquor vendors to function: SC
The court observed that the the purpose of its original judgment in which it barred alcohol outlets within 500 metres of all highways was to ensure that drivers under the influence of alcohol do get on to high-speed national highways. It observed that there was nothing wrong in denotifying state and district roads that previously notified as part of national highways.
In Bengaluru several bars had been hit by this order. There are various bars in Bengaluru which are located on important thoroughfares totaling 78 kilometres which are actually part of six national highways. As a result of the SC orders these bars had to shut shop.
The question will the SC order of Tuesday apply to Bengaluru. In fact it would once the highways are denotified. The same would be applicable to all other cities provided the government decides to denotify the highways passing through the cities. In fact the Karnataka government has requested the centre to denotify over 700 kilometres of national highways and 1,476 kilometres of state highways that are passing through the cities and towns.
OneIndia News