PUDUCHERRY: The AIADMK has sought Union Home Minister Amit Shah's intervention in implementing the Supreme Court order to cancel the license of liquor shops near the state and national highways.
AIADMK deputy secretary and former MLA Vaiyapuri Manikandan, in a letter to Shah on June 15, stated that the order had directed the UT administration to cancel the licence given to liquor outlets functioning along the state and national highways and also to desist from issuing any further licences.
This includes highways that fall within the limits of a municipal corporation, city, town, and local authority. As per the order, no liquor shop should be visible and accessible from a highway and should be beyond 500 m away from the outer edge of the road, including the service lane. The Supreme Court has also directed the closure of liquor shops situated within 150 m of religious or educational institutions in a four-week period.
The AIADMK leader said he had brought this to the notice of Puducherry's chief secretary through a letter dated April 11, 2023, and requested to take necessary steps to implement the order. “As there was no response, I issued a legal notice to him on May 11, urging the removal of liquor shops," he said and listed out 36 roads where the shops are functioning by violating the order.