The state government has directed its officials to restore the licences of bars on national as well as state highways.
General Mukul said that the Supreme Court’s ban on liquor shops on highways applies only to retail shops.
By a large number of accidents on highways, the SC had directed that all liquor shops within 500 metres from national as well as state highways be closed.
One of an official told that the licences of 13,000 permit rooms and bars would be restored, preventing a loss of Rs 2,300 crore. He said the excise department had asked all district collectors and superintendents to restore the licences.
The Kerala government had sought an opinion whether the order was meant only for liquor on highways, or if bars too were closed.
The idea is to ensure that there are no liquor shops in close to these roads as per the directions of the Court so that easy source of purchasing liquor is prohibited.
“The directions apply to shops where liquor sold as a retail item.
“The bureaucrat said, ” We have started restoring the licences of rooms and bars. We already suffered a loss of Rs 3,000 crore last year and now this decision would have resulted in further loss of Rs 2,400 crore.
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