Karnataka government re-classifies state highways as city roads, saves 3,200 liquor shops from closure

The state government decides to re-designate the state highways as city roads The re-designation will save at least 3,200 liquor shops from closing down The Karnataka Public Works Department on June 13 issued a notification renaming 1,476.69 km roads which pass through urban local bodies as city roads

The state government decides to save close to 3,200 liquor shops operating near highways from shutting down by re-designating the state highways as city roads.

In December 2016, the Supreme Court ordered that no establishment would be permitted to sell alcohol if it was within 500 metres of a national or state highway. The range is 220 meters in towns with population below 20,000.

As per a report by the Times of India, the Karnataka Public Works Department on June 13 issued a notification renaming 1,476.69 km roads which pass through urban local bodies (ULB) as city roads.

The President of Karnataka Wine Merchants Association, G Honnagiri Gowda, said to TOI, “The government’s move will help liquor trade. It will save at least 50% of the liquor outlets marked for closure.”

The PWD, however, says that the re-designation was to facilitate civic works along the highways. M Lakshminarayana, principal secretary, PWD, said “The re-designation of state highways has nothing to do with the SC order on liquor trade. The decision was taken to ease the process of taking up civic work along the highways and around them.”

The government has sent a proposal to the Centre to denotify the national highways spanning 800 km, which pass through municipal corporation limits in the state. The approval is pending with the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI).
Although the re-designated highways will now have to be maintained by cash-strapped ULB’s, Lakshminarayana has said that the PWD has enough resources and will take part of the burden. 

Close to 100 kilometres of the highways will now have to be maintained by BBMP. However, Minister for Bengaluru development K J George, said to TOI, “A substantial portion of both state and national highways is being maintained by BBMP and the government's move to redesignate state highways or denotify national highways would not be a burden on us. We are ready to maintain the roads.”