Bengaluru: About 640 pubs, bars and hotels in the city’s downtown face imminent closure, as they are located on “national highways” and have to be shut down from July 1, as ordered by the Supreme Court, said their association representative on Thursday.
“All the pubs and bars in the city’s downtown, including the upscale M.G. Road, Brigade Road and Church Street have to shut down from July 1, as per the apex court order if the state government fails to get the central government denotify the central business district from the national highways list,” Karnataka State Hotels’ Association General Secretary Madhukar Shetty said.
On June 7, the Karnataka State Cabinet approved a proposal to declare the chainage of state highway that pass through the limits of urban local bodies like city corporations, city municipal corporation, town municipalities and town panchayats as urban roads and local authority
The Cabinet had decided to send the proposal to Union government for denotification of stretches of those highways passing through the limits of the urban local bodies.
“We sent the request to Union Ministry of Road Transport and Highways on June 15 to denotify highways passing through the limits of the urban local bodies. Till date we have not received any reply from them,’’ Karnataka Public Works Principal Secretary M. Lakshminarayana said.
The excise department formally issued notices on June 22 to all bars and pubs in deference to a Supreme Court order that bans the sale of alcohol within 500 metres vicinity of state and national highways. These bars and pubs are told to stop selling alcoholic beverages from the midnight of June 30.
“We have issued notices to 644 bars, pubs and star hotels in Bengaluru to stop selling liquor from June 30 midnight. I have no information on the total number of bars, pubs and restaurants to be affected by this order,’’ Karnataka State Excise Department Joint Commissioner (Distilleries & Breweries) Rajendra Prasad said.
According to the owners of bars and pubs on MG Road, Church Street and Brigade Road, corporates have stopped booking halls to organize parties and get together functions at their bars and pubs in the CBD area.
“Three functions were cancelled due to the closure order. These functions were supposed to be held in the first week of July,’’ an owner of the bar said on a condition of anonymity.
According to reliable sources, National Highways (NH) 44, 75, 209, 275, 4 and 7 branches out in six directions from the General Post Office in the CDB area.
“The Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) will not be affected if bars, pubs and restaurants are closed in deference to the Supreme Court order since the revenue in form of trade licence fee is nominal,’’ BBMP Commissioner N. Manjunatha Prasad said.
Meanwhile, residents of Indiranagar who have been fighting against commercialization of residential area want the state government not to go ahead with their request to the Centre to denotify National Highway 44 (Old Madras Road) that passes through Indiranagar 1st Stage.
“Around 10 bars, pubs, retail outlets will be affected if the SC order is implemented. We have been fighting for the closure of all bars and restaurants in our area. We welcome the Supreme Court’s order banning sale of liquor within 500 metres of national highways,’’ Indiranagar First Stage League Residents Welfare Association vice-president Swarna Venkataraman said.
The members of Koramangala Residents’ Welfare Association (KRWA) have also expressed similar opinion.“We are happy with the Supreme Court’s order on banning sale of liquor in the vicinity of national highways. Bars and restaurants have become a nuisance in our locality. I hope the excise department will implement the Supreme Court’s order without fail,’’ KRWA secretary Prakash Reddy said.
