Uttar Pradesh government suffered a loss of about Rs 5,000 crore after the Supreme Court order of banning all liquor shops along national and state highways. Of the 8,591 highway liquor shops affected after the Supreme Court ruling, while 2,000 are yet to be relocated, nearly 3,000 shop owners have surrendered their licenses.
“We have incurred a loss of about Rs 5,000 crore in 2016-17 fiscal ending March 31. Out of the target of realising Rs 19,000 crore, the excise department could generate Rs 14,000 crore following the apex court order,” said UP Excise Minister Jai Pratap Singh.
SC had ordered last year a ban on all liquor shops along national and state highways across the nation. It has also prohibited all signages indicating the presence of liquor vends on highways.
The Supreme Court again on March 31 reiterated its December 15, 2016, order. However, it relaxed the distance to 220 m for cities, towns and municipal areas with a population of 20,000 or less.
As per data compiled by the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB), accidents owing to drunk driving have the highest casualty rate of all accidents.
