Supreme Court liquor ban won't help, says Justice Santosh Hegde

Bengaluru: Nothing will be achieved by the Supreme Court ban on liquor vends on national and state highways, said former SC judge and Lokayukta, Justice Santosh Hegde. “The man on the road will get his stock of liquor and drink despite the ban on highway liquor vends. If the purpose of the ban is to prevent drunken driving then there should be stricter enforcement of law and improved traffic management. The government and traffic police should ensure frequent checks (for drunk driving) and strengthen the highway patrol. Ban on liquor retailers on highways is not a solution to drunken driving and road accidents as a cause of that,” said Justice Hegde.

He said that while drinking is not a Fundamental Right, thousands of people, who are employed in the highway liquor outlets will lose their jobs. “The financial impact of the ban, which is roughly estimated to around Rs 2,000 to Rs 3,000 crore will dent state revenue and indirectly affect government’s development and welfare projects,” he said.

The result of the highway liquor ban is being felt not only by the liquor retailers. The secondary businesses, which are allied to liquor sales, are also feeling the heat. The hit list will include chicken and fish sales because chicken fry/kebabs/rolls and fish fry feature on top of a bar menu.

Baby Salian of the Udupi District Retail Fish Merchants’ Association heads a body of 10,000 women fishmongers in Mangaluru, Udupi, Kundapura and Dakshin Kannada region. “They have an average daily business of around Rs 1,000 to Rs 2,000. A chunk of their daily sales are linked to pubs and bars. They will lose their business if the bars are closed down. Most of the fisherwomen are illiterate and this is their only occupation,” said Salian.

President of Karnataka Broiler Breeders’ Association Ashok Kumar said there is a lot of anxiety among poultry retailers because of the ban. “Our largest consumers are households followed by hotels and restaurants. The heat will be felt by the ban,” said Mr Kumar. Weekly sale and consumption of poultry in Karnataka averages between 65 lakhs to 70 lakhs. Bengaluru consumes 20 lakh birds every week, he said.

Another businessman, on condition of anonymity, said that the ban would be felt by the registered liquor retailers on the highways, but what about the illegal outlets, which populate the highways? “There are more illegal watering holes than the licensed ones. The heat of the ban will dry the legal vends and this will boost the business of the illegal pubs/bars and liquor shops on the state and national highways,” he said.