Team Herald
PANJIM: In a major victory for the villagers of Surla-Dongurli, the Directorate of Panchayats has dismissed the bar owners’ petition seeking to set aside the revocation order of No Objection Certificate (NOC) granted to their establishments by the local panchayat. The District Magistrate North had issued a closure order on drinking and serving liquor in the village.
On August 30, the Surla bar owners had appealed to the directorate under Section 178 of the Goa Panchayat Raj Act, for an interim stay on the NOC revocation order issued by the Dongurli-Thane panchayat on August 16. The licences of eight bar owners were cancelled owing to nuisance created by drunk visitors.
The villagers had filed an intervention petition stating that the liquor trade and consumption has disrupted the peace and social harmony in the village.
Speaking to Herald, Adv Neelesh Takekar, appearing on behalf of the villagers, said that Additional Director Panchayat, Siddhi Halankar, dismissed the bar owners’ petition and that a detailed order will be available in two days. “Both the parties were called today. Additional Director ordered dismissal of bar owner’s petition,” Takekar said.
Despite several attempts, the Additional Director remained unavailable for comments.
The Surla bar owners had initially petitioned the High Court over the closure of their bars. They were asked by the court to make a statutory appeal to the Panchayats Directorate after which the six bar owners from the village filed the appeal.
The villagers in their intervention petition had said, “Residents of the village are in strict opposition of continuing or conducting any liquor trade within the village and therefore the action of the village panchayat as well as the Excise Department is fully justified, since the said action of revoking the license by the concerned authority is in the interest of the villagers and its youth who will fall prey to the evil of alcoholism.”
They had added, “The issue involves larger public interest and safeguards for a healthy and peaceful living of the applicants.”
