PANJIM: Affected liquor traders and bar owners have urged the State government to seek complete exemption from the highway liquor ban on lines with Sikkim and Meghalaya in a bid to save livelihood of thousands of families and dependents.
Addressing the media on Monday, Advocate Amit Palekar, representing the All Goa Liquor Traders Association and the Bar & Restaurant Owners Association said the State can avail the relief provided its difficulties are placed before the Supreme Court.
“There are rivers, forested areas and hilly areas. An aerial measurement shows some liquor outlets are within 500 metres but a person will not walk through these inaccessible paths to buy or consume alcohol. These points should be brought up before the SC,” he said.
The traders will meet Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar to discuss the issue on Tuesday following which both associations have slated a meeting of their members at Taleigao. Sikkim and Meghalaya have been exempted from the ban because of the hilly terrain and forested areas, which its respective governments referred to in their petition copies. The Congress Party, that assured supporting the affected traders, had last week questioned the Goa government as to why it could not file a similar plea referring to 38-39 percent of forest cover, 105 km coastline and CRZ regulations.
“Besides these, there are also two NH passing through the State and one NH cutting through all the urban areas. Goa government could have listed all this in the petition copy to claim exemption,” Margao legislator Digambar Kamat had said.
