SC ban: K’taka liquor shop owners call off bandh on Friday after CM’s assurance

The dealers called off the bandh after assurance of help from CM Siddaramaiah
SC ban: K’taka liquor shop owners call off bandh on Friday after CM’s assurance
SC ban: K’taka liquor shop owners call off bandh on Friday after CM’s assurance
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Angered by the massive loss of income, retail liquor traders had earlier decided to call for a bandh on Friday to urge the government to protect their business interests.

The dealers were initially planning to call for a bandh, but changed their stand after the government promised to consider their grievances.

“The government has sympathized with us. Chief minister Siddaramaiah ha assured us that he would help the traders. We will wait for the government to take action. The protest will be a token one now, and we will not observe a bandh on Friday,” said G Honnagiri Gowda, President of the Karnataka Federation of Wine Merchants Association.

Around 70% of the liquor shops in Karnataka have taken a massive hit after the Supreme Court order, banning sale of liquor near highways.

After the Supreme Court banned liquor sale within 500 metres of national highways and 220 metre of state ones, over 5,000 establishments in Karnataka, including retail liquor shops, pubs and restaurants have been facing financial troubles as they either had to shut shop or be relocated. 

In Karnataka, liquor licences are valid till the end of June and the government has to take measures before that to safeguard the interests of the liquor shop owners. 

Karnataka has 146 state highways, and 13 national highways passing through it.

The dealers have proposed the denotification of state highways, which they feel will reduce the impact of the ban. They want state highways to be denotified as district highways, as is being done in Maharashtra and Madhya Pradesh.

The association’s treasurer, TJ Maharwade, said that even the highways passing through the cities have not been excluded. This means that 6,000 of the 10,000 licensed outlets would either have to shut down or relocate.

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