Bengaluru: MG Road, Brigade Road, Church Street, Indiranagar of Bengaluru city are known for their night life. Every day thousands of people, especially foreigners and youngsters visit these roads just to taste the delicious food and wine, alcohol served in these pubs and bars.
But come June 30 midnight all the bars and pubs on upmarket MG Road, Brigade Road, Church Street and Indiranagar will be shut down as per the recent Supreme Court judgement banning the sale of liquor within 500-meter radius of national and state highways.
Even though all these areas are part of Central Business District (CBD) of the city, technical issues have forced these bars, wine shops and pubs to shut down.
“As per the revenue department documents, MG Road is still mentioned as National Highway. Brigade and Church streets fall within the radius of 500 meters of this national highway. With union surface ministry rejecting our request to denotify this road, there is no option but shutting down all the establishments,” informed an officer from the state revenue department.
“In Bengaluru alone around 1,500 bars and pubs will be shut down as per the SC judgment,’ he added.
According to an officer from Excise department, yearly permit of all these bars and pubs is expiring on June 30. As per the SC judgment we can’t renew it. “It means the closure of all these establishments,” added an officer.
Meanwhile, state government is considering the option of filing a review petition in the Supreme Court over the issue.