The Supreme Court’s order advising all state governments to remove liquor shops situated along national highways and not to issue any more fresh licenses to such liquor stores is just too harsh, especially in a state like Goa as thousands of locals are fully dependent on the liquor industry for their own survival cum livelihood.
In fact, today the reason why even the domestic tourists are coming down to Goa in large numbers the whole year round then that’s not just to do their sight-seeing tours or to see our famous beaches/churches/temples etc but only due to the free flow or availability of all types of liquor at a cheaper rate at every corner of this state. Now, if at all the law-enforcers really decide to shut down all bars and restaurants, wine stores along all the national highways as per the Supreme Court’s order then surely our tourism will be the first casualty as most domestic tourists will slowly definitely stop coming down to Goa thereby killing our tourism industry in one go.
It will also hit the livelihood of thousands of our self-employed local Goans, some of whom who have gone to start such businesses by taking huge loans from their close relatives and banks. Now, who is going to compensate all these poor people in Goa who will become jobless due to the Supreme Court’s harsh order?
Of course, the excuse the Supreme Court has given for this unfortunate order is due to the rise in road accidents on national highways. Well, I just don’t think that even if our law enforcers go to shut down all the bars & restaurants, liquor stores etc on national highways as per the Supreme Court’s order, they will ever succeed in stopping road accidents or stop the sale of liquor, especially in a state like Goa as there will already be people who will start selling liquor illegally in black moving around in their own mobile vans, if not big trucks in collaboration of our most corrupt cops on all the national highways.
As finally selling liquor practically has always been big business for many, just like the sale of drugs in the state.
I therefore feel that if at all the Supreme Court is so much interested in bringing down the figures of road accidents on all the national highways of India then instead of telling the state governments to selectively shut down only the Bars & Restaurants, Liquor stores etc of all the poor local people on national highways, it should seriously bring about a total nation-wide ban on liquor sale and also decide to close down all the factories producing liquor all over India with immediate effect for better positive results.
