Stir against liquor ban intensifies in Uttar Pradesh; Gujarat may seek SC relief

Restriction of sale of liquor within 500 metres from highways has badly hit the liquor industry. While various state governments are exploring options to mitigate the effect, industry experts believe the cumulative revenue losses would run into hundreds of crores.
The wine industry in Nashik is likely to take a huge hit. The All India Wine Producers' Association (AIWPA) estimates that overall sales would be affected by up to 20%, resulting in losses worth at least Rs 120 crore.The annual wine sale in the country is close to 1.40 crore litres worth Rs 550 crore; Nashik supplies 80% of it, which is about 1.15 crore litres, worth Rs 450 crore.
"Wine sale happens largely at the star hotels, which have also been affected due to the Supreme Court verdict," said an association member.
Kolkata, however, faces a different problem. With 750-odd liquor shops and bars back in the business after the state government denotified the state highways, the demand has surged but the supply is inadequate.
Said Partha Chatterjee, owner of a liquor shop on BT Road: "We have not added stocks in the last one week because of the uncertainty. The demand is quite high now but we do not have the supply," he said. The experts peg the industry losses due to four days of the closure in West Bengal at Rs 60-70 crore.
This comes even as authorised liquor vends in parts of north India continued to face violent protests on Wednesday. Multiple cases of violence were reported in 24 districts of Uttar Pradesh. Four fresh attacks on liquor shops were reported in Lucknow on Wednesday including one in Hazratganj, the heart of the city. Eight such cases were reported on Tuesday.
In Shahjahanpur and Moradabad in western Uttar Pradesh, mobs, mainly women, ransacked and set shops afire. The protestors said they had made several complaints to the local police about the nuisance created by the presence of the liquor shops, but had got no response. A BJP municipal councillor was booked for inciting the violence in Gulabbadi Chunggi area in Moradabad.
Protests intensified in Pithoragarh, Champawat and Bageshwar of Kumaoun division in Uttarakhand. Scores of women took to the streets against the relocation of liquor vends from highways.
In Gujarat, sources said the state government is planning to make a representation to the Centre for exemption from the Supreme Court order. Officials said prohibition was strictly implemented in Gujarat by law and sale of liquor in state is highly regulated through permits. Hotel associations have also requested the state government to report the real situation to the SC and the Centre. So far, the state government has issued closure notices to liquor shops in 16 leading hotels.