Highway wine shops in Kurnool district wait for Supreme Court's signal

Kurnool: Wine shop owners in Kurnool district are hit hard because, of the 203 licensed wine shops there, as many as 177 are located within a half kilometre range of the National Highway 44.

Wine shops on the NH have been ordered to shut by April 1 by the Supreme Court.

The shop owners, however, hope that a petition filed in the Supreme Court by Tamil Nadu state government may get a positive order. The state government has sought an exemption in distance from 500 metres to 100 metres from National Highway.

District wine shop dealers, stung by the implementation of the order, were caught with no option but to close down the shop. Shop owners received notices from Kurnool and Nandyal Excise Superintendents and forcibly complying with the orders, said a wine shop owner.

“We spent more money bidding with high stakes expecting good business on the proximity of NH. But this has come as a shocker,” said a wine shop owner.

Another wine shop owner said that they are expecting a favourable order in a petition filed by Tamil Nadu wine shop owners.

It is learnt that Tamil Nadu's government owned TASMAC has filed an application in the Supreme Court requesting that the 500-metre bar on locating a liquor outlet be reduced to 100 metre.

It also has sought extension of deadline to relocate the outlets. As against the April 1, 2016, which is hardly 10 days away, Tamil Nadu now wants the date to be extended till November 28. We are hoping a favourable order from the Apex court, said a wine shop owner.