Recently A Supreme Court appointed panel on road safety headed by its retired judge KS Radhakrishnan has recommended ban on sale of alcohol on state and national highways to curb cases of road accidents in which nearly 1.5 lakh die every year in the country.

The Supreme Court today said that the total ban on liquor shops along national highways would be enforced only after elaborate discussions and consultations with all the stake holders like state excise commissioners, revenue officials and also alcohol shop owners.

The court had in May 2013 first asked the national highways ministry to draft a policy asking states to close shops along the national highways.

After Attorney General Mukul Rohatgi, representing the Centre

Centre, explained the draft policy on banning liquor shops along highways, the bench directed excise commissioners of all states to hold a meeting in Delhi to discuss the feasibility of the Centre’s plans and come back to court after two months.They have been given liberty to find fault with the policy if any and also make their suggestions which shall be considered.

Rohatgi told the court that as per the policy no liquor outlets will be allowed within the periphery of 220 metres of the highway and also at places clearly visible from the highway. He said municipal areas will be exempted from the ban as it involved revenue issues.

Terming Indian roads as “giant killers” demanding immediate attention and remedial action, the Supreme Court in April last year had appointed the three-member committee to scrutinize and monitor enforcement of statutory provisions including the Motor Vehicles Act for making roads safer.

In last one month, almost 1,000 liquor vends have shut shop along NH in these two States, according to official sources. From the closed outlets, some 650 liquor vends were located along in highways managed by the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI), while others were located along the NH controlled by the State Public Works Department.

With one death reported every 4 minutes, India has a distinction of having highest number of road accident related deaths in the whole world.