We will study the judgment, and on what basis Sikkim and Meghalaya were exempted from the purview. We will look into their petitions too. Only after this, we will meet the CM (Manohar Parrikar) to take a step that would not affect the livelihood of thousands of families and dependents
— Adv Amit Palekar, Legal advisor to liquor traders
We are shocked to hear that even bars and restaurants are included in this order. Today’s order has clarified and included all those who are in the liquor trade. One of the options is to denotify the highways but the revenues that the government gets from the highways is much higher than the liquor trade. Secondly, we would want the Goa’s case be pleaded. We have a history of Portuguese culture and liquor trade started long time back and not recent times. The business has been here for generations.
—Michael Carrasco, President, Bardez Bar and Restaurant Owners Association
I will ask the government to denotify the highway passing through the city as this will solve most of the problem. Families will be shattered as many of them have been running the business as family business and passing on from generation to generation. This decision is like a sudden catastrophe on all those whose livelihood is depended on the trade
—Carlos Almeida, Vasco MLA
It is a big setback for Goa, state’s tourism, employment and for the industry as a whole. Lot of top hotels and restaurants are going to get affected due to the decision. It’s a big disaster for Goa’s tourism industry. I feel this may lead to a lot of illegality. Even the government reacted quite slow in this matter and we were not part of any petition. And now filing a review petition will be a very difficult as the Supreme Court has clubbed all the petitions. As the only solution, I think the Legislature will have to sit and take on the matter.
—Savio Messias, TTAG President
It is a black day for Goa. The decision is very harsh for the state of Goa as more than 3200 licences will be losing business from tomorrow (Saturday). We are of the firm belief that the Excise Department’s survey is based on wrong interpretation as the Supreme Court order does not state radius but accessible road from the highways. If the government interprets the orders as accessible road then at least 1200 licences will receive relief
– Dattaprasad Naik, President, Goa Liquor Traders Association
I believe we should be treated differently and we have to fight it out. We are different. We are in the 50th year of the Opinion Poll, the only referendum in Independent India. The country knows that we are different and if hilly states like Meghalaya and Sikkim can be treated differently, then Goa should have been the first state to be treated differently.
—Vijai Sardesai, Town and Country Planning Minister
