Team Herald
PANJIM: Liquor businesses in the State are a divided lot with the lower rungs of the trade anxiously awaiting action from the government to revive the alcohol trade industry in the State and the chiefs of the association siding with the Chief Minister.
While the Bar and Restaurant Owners Association (BROA) wants to call for a state-wide bandh and agitate against the delay by the government to act on the liquor ban issue, Goa Liquor Traders Association (GLTA) has stated that it won’t support any agitation against the government on the issue.
BROA on April 25, after a meeting in Margao had served an ultimatum to Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar to act swiftly on the issue of liquor ban along highways, file a petition before the Supreme Court and denotify the state highways by 30 April or else face a state wide agitation.
However, the Presidents of GLTA and BROA, Dattaprasad Naik and Michael Carassco respectively, state that the Chief Minister should be given the time to delve on the matter.
Naik said, “Goa Liquor Traders Association has nothing to do with the meeting. We are completely with the government and we believe in what the Chief Minister has told us. GLTA is not supporting any agitation and we have full faith in the Chief Minister that he will help us in best possible manner to come out of this crisis.”
On the other hand, Carassco termed his association’s decision as wrong. He said, “That was a wrong decision taken by the association, I feel. I was out of station and it was an incomplete ultimatum. You cannot give an ultimatum through the papers that government should do something without meeting the Chief Minister.”
Stating that meeting the Chief Minister is a priority before taking any decision he said, “Three-four days ultimatum is not fair also. We are going to have a meeting and plan it now. According to me, we should meet the CM first and know what his stand is and what he is planning to do.”
Incidentally, Amit Palekar legal advisor to GLTA, is an owner of a bar and restaurant and had organized the meeting held in Margao on April 25.
Stating that he is satisfied with the progress of the work, Naik said, “He (Chief Minister) has asked for three months then we should give him that time. Three months aren’t over yet and you speak of an agitation, which is not possible.”
Supporting the Chief Minister, Naik further said that denotifying highways is not easy and the government needs to take all the things into consideration.
He added, “Those states which went ahead in a hurry and denotified highways, have had their decisions stalled by the High Court. In Chennai, a petition has been filed against the Tamil Nadu government’s decision to denotify the highway. In addition the High Court has said that no bar will be allowed till the Court is satisfied with reason for denotifying the highways.”
