PANJIM: In an attempt to grant relief to some more liquor outlets affected by the Supreme Court’s highway liquor ban, the State government has decided to include the Mopa International Airport Planning Areas and adjoining villages in the category of relaxation.
The decision on the new parametres by the three-member committee of the State government to look into liquor ban comes after it decided recommending renewal of 1021 liquor licenses that fall under cluster towns.
“Proximity to urban areas’ and ‘sufficiently developed areas’ were the two parametres taken into consideration previously, to salvage the affected liquor vends. We have decided to take Mopa International Airport Planning Areas and the adjoining villages because Mopa is already notified as planning area. The government’s focus is anyway to develop Mopa. Therefore, these also will fall in the category of relaxation,” committee member and Minister Vijai Sardesai told reporters on Wednesday.
In its February 25 order, the SC had given State governments the discretion to decide whether areas covered by local self-governing bodies or areas proximate to municipal pockets should be exempted from its nationwide prohibition on sale of liquor within 500 metres along highways.
The Committee that held its second meeting on April 4 decided to recommend to the Finance Department to renew 1021 licenses which fall under cluster towns while leaving the remaining 311 outlets to be taken under other categories.
Asked whether the fresh decision would save these 300-odd outlets, committee members Ministers Francis D’Souza and Rohan Khaunte refused to spell out details.
“We are not focusing on the numbers but our actual emphasis is on creating parameters, and we have extended this by including Mopa and the adjoining areas. It is based on data supplied by land revenue code and records that come from Town & Country Planning and Urban Development departments,” Sardesai added.
He went on to state that revealing the numbers of outlets that would be granted relief through the present decision could amount to contempt of court. “We are just creating a policy and parameters which are within the court order,” he said.
Khaunte added that the policy intends to help maximum liquor outlets from facing closure. Earlier, Pernem MLA Manohar Azgaonkar had led a delegation to the committee wherein the affected liquor traders had sought relief.
The initial SC order on December 15, 2016 had affected around 3,210 outlets which were brought down to 1,332 through various measures taken within the legal parameters.
