PANJIM: The Goa government has moved a file for the de-notification of state and national highways which pass through cities and is waiting for the Town and Country Planning department to “implement”. This de-notification will protect all liquor outlets in cities, especially in Margao and Vasco.
Speaking to Herald, PWD Minister Sudin Dhavalikar informed, “We have moved the file, but that has to be first implemented by the Town and Country Planning department and only then it will be done. Just cannot rush and get into a mess”, he stated.
Stating that if need arises a law would be passed during the upcoming session of the Goa Legislative Assembly, he said, “The proposal is concerning the state and national highways which cross through the cities only. If a bill has to be passed then it would be done, during the Monsoon Session”, Dhavalikar said. He didn’t explain though what he meant by the TCP department having to “implement it”.
Goa’s efforts, though it is behind UT’s like Chandigarh by a long margin, are likely to be boosted by the success the Chandigarh government has got from the court. Chandigarh’s persistence has paid off and the Supreme Court has upheld the Union Territory’s denotification of state and national highways.
A two-judge bench of the Supreme Court while hearing an appeal by an NGO challenging the denotification, observed that highways in the city limits could be considered as internal or district roads.
Defending the government, All Goa Liquor Traders Association (AGLTA) president, Dattaprasad Naik said that the government has been very sensitive to the issue of liquor traders and that the affected businessmen have confidence in the ruling dispensation that it is acting in the right direction.
