Tripura, Mizoram to ban liquor shops along highways

Agartala/Aizawl: The Tripura and Mizoram governments would implement the Supreme Court order to ban liquor shops and outlets along the national highways, officials said on Monday.
The Tripura government has asked all the eight District Magistrates and Collectors to relocate the liquor shops and outlets 500 metres away from the national highways.
“We have already asked the DMs and Collectors to take immediate steps to move the liquor shops and outlets 500 metres away from the national highways. We would execute the Supreme Court directives by March,” Tripura’s Commissioner of Taxes and Excise Debapriya Bardhan told IANS.
He said: “Of the 97 foreign liquor and 37 country liquor shops in Tripura, around 84 liquor shops and outlets fall within 500 metres of the national highways. We would relocate all of them.”
As per the apex court directive, wine shops, outlets and bars should move beyond 500 meters of the national highways.
The court in its December 15 order had also stipulated a deadline to the states asking them to relocate the liquor joints by March 31, 2017.
“Licenses of existing liquor shops along the national highways would not be renewed after March 31,” Tripura’s Commissioner of Taxes and Excise Debapriya Bardhan said.
In Aizawl, Mizoram’s Excise and Narcotics Minister R. Lalzirliana said that the state government would implement the Supreme Court order to ban liquor shops along national highways.
“The license of these shops would be cancelled if they do not comply with the direction,” the Excise and Narcotics minister said.
After 18 years of imposing stringent prohibition, the Mizoram government lifted the liquor ban in the state in March 2015.
The Mizoram government allowed opening of liquor shops in the Christian dominated tribal majority state under the Mizoram Liquor Prohibition and Control Act, 2014. (IANS)