KOCHI: The Kerala High Court has sought the state and the Centre’s response on a batch of petitions seeking a directive to close down liquor outlets situated within 500 m of the roads passing through Kozhikode and Ernakulam cities on the ground these roads are still part of the National Highway (NH).
P A Salim of Edappally submitted the Aroor-Edappally stretch passing through Thoppumpady, Thevara, MG Road, Kaloor and Palarivattom is part of the National Highway 47.
The schedule of the National Highways Authority of India(NHAI) showed the NH 47 passes through Ernakulam city. If NH 47 indeed passes through Ernakulam city, Kaloor will also be included. But, the Excise authorities have allowed the liquor shops to function in violation of Supreme Court guidelines.
In his petition, Santhosh Kumar and four others from Ramanattukara, Kozhikode, informed the court the NHAI had never issued any order denotifying the roads from the schedule of the NH.
The liquor shops have been allowed to function on the ground with the construction of the bypass road from Nisary Jn at Ramanattukara till Puzhakattiri on Kannur Road, the NH which earlier extended from Ramanattukara Jn to Kannur Road through Cheruvannur, Meenchantha, Kallai and Mananchira in Kozhikode Town had ceased to exist.
Consequent on this, the National Highway still passed through Kozhikode city. Hence, the petitioners sought to declare the stretch from Ramanattukara Jn to Kannur Road which passes through Cheruvannur, Meenchantha, Kallai and Mananchira in Kozhikode town as NH and ensuingly term the functioning of liquor outlets situated within 500 m of the road illegal.