Karnataka: Pubs and Bars to be Saved legally

Around 3,000 liquor vendors across Karnataka have gone out of business following the order of the Supreme Court, prohibiting the sale of alcohol within a distance of 500 m from state and national highways.
Facing a major dent in its revenues from the sale of liquor licenses, the State Government is planning to modify its excise law. The Karnataka government is looking to follow the path opened up by the Punjab Government.
With the proposed amendment, the State is planning to allow the customers to consume alcohol within the premises of bars and pubs.
“The proposed amendment will make it legal for bars and restaurants to serve alcohol within their building premises, even if they are located on highways. The amended legislation will allow only bars and restaurants to serve alcohol to their customers inside their building premises even if they are located on a highway. Customers cannot buy alcohol from the bar and drink it while on the road. It has to be consumed within the bar or restaurant,” Law Department official said.
“We expect the Center to denotify the national highways running through cities but if that does not happen, we need to ensure that businesses in our state do not get affected,” he added.
The reason for the State Government’s proposed amendment is that over one lakh jobs will be affected by the closure of over 3,000 bars and restaurants which are located on highways, the official added.
“The proposal is being studied and a panel has been formed to look into it. The government will take a decision only after the panel delivers its opinion,” the Law Department official said.