Jajpur: The state government’s move to reclassify all state highways as urban and rural roads to circumvent the highway liquor ban of the apex court has paved the way for normal functioning of liquor shops on 33 roads in the district.
The move has dashed the hopes of women, students and residents who were expecting closure of the liquor shops after the apex court ban as these shops had become a cause for all troubles in their areas. These roads have been reclassified as urban and rural roads as they pass under the jurisdiction of civic bodies, sub-divisional headquarters, block and tehsil headquarters.
As a result, the liquor shops near the educational institutions, religious places government offices, banks are now back in business again after the reclassification of the roads by the state government. Excise sources said the district had 42 foreign liquor on-shops including beer parlours, 40 foreign liquor off-shops and 14 country liquor (Aska-40) shops before the apex court liquor ban on highways.
Some of these foreign liquor shop shops were relocated to rural areas after the Supreme Court liquor ban on highways came into force. The villagers in respective areas strongly opposed the relocating of these liquor shops to their villages as they feared that the presence of these shops will disturb the peaceful environment in their villages and will turn the youths alcoholic which will ultimately lead to rise in crime in their areas.
The state government apprehending revenue loss renamed the state highways as urban and rural roads to help allow the liquor shops to function as usual in their places. While 18 of these roads were reclassified as urban roads, 15 of them have been renamed as tehsil roads.
When contacted, the district excise superintendent Bibekananda Nayak said that the liquor shops have started functioning again on reclassified roads but efforts are being made to address the complaints of the local residents. PNN