PANJIM: Wholesale and retail liquor shops, high-end bars and pubs were ordered to close down on Saturday as the Excise Department began enforcing the Supreme Court’s (SC) order banning the sale of alcohol within 500 meters of National and State highways.
As many as 3210 liquor vends were identified, during an exhaustive survey conducted by taluka-wise teams across the State, a month ago. “We have begun complying with the SC directives. All the identified liquor outlets were shut. Our officials ensured that no outlet contravenes the order,” a senior Excise Officer told Herald.
Except for some isolated cases in the South, the entire exercise on day 1 of the implementation was by and large peaceful. Nevertheless, the department is geared up to tackle possible untoward incidents considering that liquor vend owners are upset with the development. “There is no violence reported as of now but we cannot rule out the possibility, and as such, we have requested Goa Police to provide security whenever we need it,” he said.
The SC order on Friday created flutters in the State as it did in other parts of the country when it upheld its December 2016 order that all liquor outlets falling within 500 metres of the highways will be banned from operating from April 1, 2017. Hearing a batch of petitions seeking modification of its order, the apex court bench, headed by Chief Justice Jagdish Khehar, said that only in those areas where the population was less than 20,000, the distance would be around 220 meters.
When asked if any town in the State falls in the ‘relaxed’ category, the Excise Officer said they will scrutinize their survey report. However, in the meantime, all vends will be shut. “If any outlet falls beyond 220 meters in towns with 20,000 or less population it will be exempted from the ban. But it is currently under scrutiny and for now, the enforcement continues,” he said.
