[amolpol]

Originally Posted by djpeesh

Given that vehicles cause 100% of vehicular accidents, I suppose someone should be filing a PIL to ban them.

The problem in India is the tendency to ban anything and everything, instead of actually using law enforcement to enforce the law.

Haha, couldn't agree more. There'll also be some bloke who will file a PIL quoting a research that good people (read politicians) wear white n white whereas bad guys (robbers etc) wear all black, and so we must ban people wearing black in public places. It's just stupid.

If the basic premise for this judgement is that banning liquor sale on highway will really reduce accidents then I'd also ask for evidence to the point that banning sunfilms on cars has really caused a dip in rape cases across the country. We're getting very good at blaming/punishing everyone for a crime committed by a few, who btw get away with it because of poor judicial machinery and dismal conviction rates.

If the law enforcement is fixed, the general public will suffer a lot less. Else we'll soon become a country of bans!

[jkdas]

Originally Posted by Sankar

phamilyman

No one is going to give up their fix. What is being implemented is a half baked solution to a problem (DUI) which is not being enforced properly. And since i am not a non-drinker and coming from a state which is known for its drinking culture let me tell you that lack of easy access to liquor on the road can cut down on some if not all unplanned/on-a-whim drink and drive sessions.

Carrying liquor in car and having is also possible but its a headache and needs planning and/or hardwork of standing in queue .
Keeping liquor in car is like domiciles sword even when not under influence.

PS: In case its not clear. I don't support the ban being implemented now, and thus termed it as a jugaad which is being tackled by another jugaad. Enforcement is the proper way to tackle this menace without hurting the economy and putting lakhs/millions of people in misery.

+1 .

And did sunfilm ban rapes etc?

[sgiitk]

Originally Posted by sgiitk

Do we need the UK system of Bars & Off Licenses officially? If we can enforce it strictly then a lot of nuisance due to shops being overrun by rowdies may be reduced tremendously.

Is not a liquor/wine shop officially like an off license, ie the stuff is not to be consumed on premises (to be consumed presumably at home). If so then putting up a table and some chairs in the front or nearby in my view is still a misuse of the license.

If we had enforced this then the problem of so many vends in housing areas as well as the troublemakers making all sorts of trouble would never have arisen.

[v_2rahjo]

A new work around that is being executed to omit the rule in gurgaon. Roads are diverted and entry to malls etc changed to ensure that the motorable distance to the venue is more than 500 mts. Cyber hub had a route change on 1st April and this included a few U-turns to increase the distance. You can practically touch NH8 from cyber hub if a straight line is drawn. This will also hit the hotel industry because the following hotels touch NH8 - Leela, Trident, Oberoi, Crowne Plaza. I believe they will also plan another set of U-turns to make people drive the additional distance

[Trojan]

Originally Posted by v_2rahjo

A new work around that is being executed to omit the rule in gurgaon. Roads are diverted and entry to malls etc changed to ensure that the motorable distance to the venue is more than 500 mts. Cyber hub had a route change on 1st April and this included a few U-turns to increase the distance.

I am sure this will be the latest method applied everywhere, in Pune we have multiple Star hotels bang on the Mumbai-Bengaluru highway.

This is not going to really curb any DUI, I mean how does this stop someone from getting dead drunk in the middle of the city and then coming out like terminator.

Instead of making the law stronger we are resorting to diktats, instead we should make the DUI offence carry a compulsory imprisonment of 1 month. Let the jails fill up, a few thousand people later, better sense will prevail. That would be a detractor, not increasing driving distance.

[swissknife]

Originally Posted by vinair

A very welcome move indeed - http://www.ndtv.com/india-news/no-li...-lateststories

In my honest opinion, not just liquor shops, but all types of shops should be kept at least 500 meters away from either sides of the road!

I can't agree with you more. By having a 6 lane divided highway with a service lane and having shops and housing right at the edge of the service lane defeats the purpose of the 6 lane highway. Where there are people close to the highway, they tend to go across the highway any which way. This is more dangerous since those using the highway may not be prepared for sudden obstructions on the road. Even if one is traveling at 80Kph, it would take a considerable distance to come to a stop.

Originally Posted by drive_angry

A very welcome move indeed but, what would be the criteria?

Like a fellow member said, what if they move their shop let's say some 100-200 meters from the state highway. Would that liquor vend then be considered as 'not' on the state highway?

They have specified a distance of 500 meters! I don't see how moving a potential hazard by a few hundred meters would eliminate the issue on hand.

[madhavgpai]

Originally Posted by v_2rahjo

I believe they will also plan another set of U-turns to make people drive the additional distance

Something on the same lines.

Owner built this to increase the "distance" to his bar to overcome the new rule, says the newspaper report.

[Samurai]

Here are some statistics that shows the futility of controlling supply side of liquor trade.

Goa reported 0 deaths on 155 ml per capita consumption per week,
Delhi reported 29 deaths on 141 ml,
UP reported 29 deaths on 39 ml,
Prohibition State of Gujarat reported 32 deaths on 56 ml

A state with prohibition has 29 deaths, while the state with highest consumption has zero deaths?

https://www.facebook.com/29086169134...c_ref=NEWSFEED

[Turbanator]

Another first from Punjab, they have allowed marriage palaces which are mostly at state highways to serve liquor as these are point of consumption and not points of sale

Restrictions on serving liquor at the many “marriage palaces“ along the highways through Mohali have been lifted after the Punjab advocate general's reasoned advice to the state on Wednesday that such places are points of consumption and not points of sale. The Punjab advocate general's advice came in response to a request for legal opinion from the excise and taxation department.

http://epaperbeta.timesofindia.com/A...20042017106052

[Samurai]

Originally Posted by Turbanator

The Punjab advocate general's advice came in response to a request for legal opinion from the excise and taxation department.

I don't think Punjab advocate general's opinion is legally binding unless the Supreme court concurs with his opinion. Earlier, Attorney general of India Mukul Rohatgi had opined that the ban does not apply to bars and restaurants. SC didn't agree with him.

Right now, the only possible solution for this juggad ban, is the juggad idea of de-notification the SH & NH. States will lose highway development subsidy from the Center, but that amount is lot less than the revenue from excise.

This is a classic example of what short sighted good will laws can do. Not only the objective won't be achieved, but is has plunged 1000s of businesses into utter chaos. Even the resorts within 500m of NH/SH are staring at ruin.

[Sankar]

As per this news article (Mathrubhumi 20/4/2017) NH 66 doesn't run inside Trivandrum city anymore. From Kazhakootam NH66 now bypasses Trivandrum city completely and continues to Karode. So no restrictions on a lot of hotels and outlets in the city anymore



Why shift outlets and hotels when one can shift the highway

[Samurai]

Some state governments like KA are just not doing anything to the entire industry that fed them 1000s crores of rupees every year. The SC decision, which was made without any understanding of the industry domain will have far reaching consequences that neither SC nor the petitioner foresaw.

Loss of liquor license means the 1000s of hotel and restaurants will close in every state. Yup, that's right. Imagine a hotel that has bunch of rooms, bar, restaurant and cafe. It is the bar that makes all the other things possible. If the bar goes, there will be few takers for the rest. A setup like that just can't survive on rooms, restaurant and cafe. I personally know many will be shutting down the whole operation by June when the license runs out.

Most are hoping to turn their buildings into some commercial space unrelated hotel/restaurant industry. Even that is not easy since there is too much supply all of a sudden. The whole industry is staring at a mass exodus away from it.

[sdp1975]

Complete prohibition of liquor in Bihar has resulted in over 60% reduction in road deaths and crashes caused due to drunk driving. Unpublished data accessed by TOI show that while 867 persons died in 2015 due to drunk driving in the state, fatalities reduced to 326 during 2016.

The declining trend in road accidents come at a time when the country is debating whether limiting access to liquor for drivers on highways actually brings down road crashes, fatalities and injuries in the light of Supreme Court banning sale of liquor within 500 metres of either side of National Highways.

Source

[binand]

Kerala & Mahi have also worked around this order. Apparently Kannur-Kuttipuram and Cherthala-Thiruvananthapuram are not National Highways any longer.

Report (in Malayalam): http://www.mathrubhumi.com/news/kera...ars--1.1979049

[carwatcher]

I got an Ad via WhatsApp from a former Bar cum Restaurant which is bang on highway. They have converted to a restaurant and in the ad they mentioned that they will allow you to enjoy the drink brought by you on your own.

I just wanted to check whether is it legal.