Delay in excise policy as SC verdict on liquor vends awaited

JALANDHAR: With the Supreme Court yet to pronounce its final verdict on a petition seeking restriction on allotment of liquor vends along the state highways, the excise officials are in a dilemma over various aspects relating to the issue and have not been able to draft the excise policy yet.

A file photo of an illegal mobile liquor shop along the National Highway No. 1 near Rama Mandi in Jalandhar. A Tribune Photograph

Deepkamal Kaur

Tribune News Service

Jalandhar, March 2

With the Supreme Court yet to pronounce its final verdict on a petition seeking restriction on allotment of liquor vends along the state highways, the excise officials are in a dilemma over various aspects relating to the issue and have not been able to draft the excise policy yet.

Even as the excise policy had come by February-end last year, Excise and Taxation Commissioner Anurag Verma today said the department was still working on it this year and it might take them another week or so to do the job. By this time last year, all excise districts had been given their respective targets, zoning plan, licence fee details and other data so that they could plan draws in their respective areas and invite applications.

Even last year, the Excise Department had to make certain last-minute changes to zonal plan by reducing the licence fee of various zones. There had been Punjab and Haryana High Court orders that vends should not have their opening towards the national highways and should not be lit up so as to attract commuters, since it could lead to incidents of drunken driving and rise in number of accidents.

Now, due to the proposal of not allowing accessibility or visibility of the liquor vend along the state highways, including in areas under various municipal corporations and municipal committees, the Excise Department has been awaiting clarity on the issue.

During a hearing on January 12, the Supreme Court said, “We would appreciate if the state governments, in conjunction with the Centre Government, can make a joint proposal indicating parameters to remove liquor vends from national and state highways. We accordingly request the Attorney General of India to facilitate a meeting on this behalf and to make appropriate suggestions.”

The case was listed last month, but was adjourned.

With the SC not in favour of allowing vends to come up on state highways, the excise officials are completely baffled. “If we do not allow companies to open shops along highways, they will move to internal roads, colonies and markets where residents, colony welfare societies and villagers will have a problem. It is not as easy as it seems,” said a senior excise official.