Liquor outlets along Delhi highways shuttered on SC orders

Following a Supreme Court order around 50 pubs, restaurants and hotels located within 500 metres of highways in Delhi will go dry. The outlets won't be able to serve liquor today onwards.

Also, 65 liquor vends will be sealed following the Supreme Court order that no liquor shops, pubs, or hotel bars serving alcohol will be permitted within 500 metres of highways in the country from 1 April, government officials said.

A senior excise department official said several teams have been formed to ensure that outlets - pubs, restaurants and hotels, most of them on NH-8 - stop serving liquor.  Some of the major restaurants and hotels located in Aerocity near the Indira Gandhi International Airport will be affected by the ruling.

Officials said strict action will be taken against violators.

The Supreme Court has directed that no liquor shop shall be visible and directly accessible from the highways nor it should be situated within 500 metres of the outer edge of the national or state highway or of the service lane.

As per the top court's order, licences of existing liquor shops on national and state highways will not be renewed after 31 March.

The Supreme Court bench had expressed displeasure over the alleged inaction by various states in removing liquor shops along the roads which give rise to drunken driving and consequential fatalities (See: Supreme Court directs closure of all liquor shops along highways).

In its order on 15 December last year, the Supreme Court had noted, "The expressways witnessed 4,208 accident cases, 4,229 injured and 1,802 deaths. Figures are also available of the distribution of road accidents by causes during 2014. 1.38 lakh persons were injured in road accidents involving dangerous or careless driving and 42,127 deaths occurred.

"Injuries caused in accidents due to over-speeding stood at 1.81 lakh while there were 48,654 deaths. 7,307 accident cases involving driving under the influence of drugs/alcohol were registered resulting in 7,398 injuries and 2,591 deaths"