It seems out of four, two pillar of democracy – Executive (Government) and Judiciary are out to destroy legal liquor businesses. After Bihar’s sudden change of heart, now Supreme Court has dropped another bomb, destroying all the liquor business falling within 500 meters of national and state highways.
Its all mayhem all across the country as the apex court has turned down all appeals ( except of hill states) and directing the states to implement its order in to from April 1. The cities have grown and many national & state highways are now cutting through municipal limits. No one can actually estimate how much money has been invested in standalone restaurants & bars and star properties which fall within the stipulated limited and now facing the death sentence.
It is all fresh in our memory how three years ago, Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar had wooed the Danish brewer Carlsberg to invest in the state, persuading it to spend $25 million to set up a plant near state capital Patna in 2014. Then he became a champion of prohibition, enforcing it across the state after being re-elected in 2015.
What is the fault of Carlsberg bosses to trust a politician in Nitish Kumar and come running over to Bihar to invest such a huge amount; create employment opportunities and fill the coffers of the state?
I wonder how come any institution – be it executive of judiciary take such a drastic decisions and make all those businesses illegal which were absolutely legal since independence? Why the hell these shops were given licenses to open shops near highways and why the permissions were give to the star properties and other restaurants & bars to start operations close to these “Holy highways’?
The sufferers like Carlsberg and now other affected parties after latest SC ruling should pool in their resources, lobby hard to make these institutions accountable and not run amuck.
Last word has still not been heard in the current my way & no highway saga .