PONDA: At least 55 liquor outlets were saved from the Supreme Court ban after the Ponda Municipal Council de-notified the road stretch from Ponda Post office to Davlim as State highway, on Friday. Now the same has been re-notified as internal municipal road.
This was done at a meeting on Friday following a request from Bar and Restaurant Owners Association to de-notify the road as State highway.
This de-notification has now saved at least 55 liquor outlets along the stretch from being closed down in consequence of the Supreme Court order banning liquor outlets with 500 metres from national and State highway.
Earlier, the municipality had also de-notified the road from Ponda Post office to Curti and re-notified as internal municipal road.
To decongest these two stretches of roads, bypass roads were constructed in Ponda during the last tenure of Ravi Naik as MLA and minister. The bypass roads have come handy to de-notify two stretches of roads thereby saving a number of liquor outlets from the SC ban.
Meanwhile, Excise Inspector Amol Harwalkar said that at least 440 out of 800 liquor outlets in Ponda are facing threat of closure as per a government survey which was completed on February 28.
Ponda Councillor Venktesh Naik said that there are, at least 55 liquor outlets in the town. This means that out of 440, at least 55 in PMC jurisdiction are saved from SC order of closure.
