Sendhwa: Liquor shop opens on state highway, SC directives flouted

Sendhwa (Madhya Pradesh): Making a mockery of the apex courtís directives that bans liquor outlets within 220 metres of state and national highways across the country, a liquor shop has been allowed to open on Niwali Road on Khetia ñ Sendhwa state highway.

The shop was recently shifted from Sendhwa urban area to Merkhedi village which falls under the Niwali tehsil of Barwani district and the liquor contractor decided to open the shop on Niwali Road about two days back.

Upset with this, scores of villagers, including a large number of women from Merkhedi village staged a protest against the opening of a liquor vend near their village.

Villagers submitted a memorandum to Niwali tehsildar Swati Upadhyay Mishra demanding that the shop should be shifted somewhere else, away from the settlements. Following this, tehsildar Mishra entrusted the investigation of the matter to naib tehsildar Narendra Muwel.

In December 2016, the apex court had ordered a ban on liquor sales along both the national and state highways.

The Supreme Court had issued directions regarding stopping of the grant of licenses for the sale of liquor along national and state highways and over a distance of 500 metres from the outer edge of the national or state highways or of a service lane along the highway.

In the case of areas under the jurisdiction of local bodies with a population of 20,000 people or less, the distance of 500 metres

is reduced to 220 metres.

The apex court, in its order, said issuing of licenses for new liquor shops in and around the highways would be closed. It also stressed that any advertisement for any liquor shop should not be visible on the national or state highways.

Notably, the shop was earlier operating at Cinema square in Sendhwa urban area till April 17. Then overnight, the shop was shifted from Sendhwa urban area to Niwali tehsil.

When contacted Sendhwa Excise Circle Officer Sandeep Singh Chauhan told that a committee had been formed to redress the matter. The committe includes the district collector, district excise officer, MLA and others, and the decision of the committee would be followed as per the norms.