BENGALURU: The wait for over 300 bars and pubs in the central business district (CBD) to resume serving alcohol has just been prolonged. The hearing of the petitions by various pubs and bars was adjourned the High Court till July 27 after the advocate for the Union government sought time to get instructions from the National Highways Authority of India and the central government.
Following an order by the Supreme Court, bars and pubs that are within 500 meters from national highways have stopped serving liquor from July 1. Since national highways technically originate in the middle of the city, either from the Town Hall or the General Post Office, watering holes within 500 metres of such roads have been shut.
The state government on its part submitted to the court that they had written to the centre about the issue and requested for denotification of the national highways within city limits. The government advocate told Justice Vineet Kothari that the state had written to the centre about it a month ago but there was no response so far.
This prompted the court to ask if the state and centre were playing ‘shuttlecock’ shifting the blame on each other. The court asked why there was no response from the centre and warned that it would have to take action if there is no response soon.
Ashish Kothare, head of Bengaluru Chapter and member of the managing committee of the National Restaurant Association of India, said, “It is high time that the state government takes a proactive stand on the issue. It seems that even the central government is waiting for the state authorities to buzz over the issue.”
