Chandigarh, October 31
“Peeo te jeeo” (drink and live), “Daroo-di-e-band botle, tainu peenage nasiban wale” (o, sealed bottle of liquor, someone lucky will consume you) scream the slogans painted on liquor vends located on the national highway No 1 in Ambala, Kurukshetra and Karnal districts.
Many liquor vends are located either on the same premises or on an adjoining piece of land of dhabas where crew of state-owned long-distance buses would invariably make a halt to “force the passengers to have refreshments and even a drink or two there.” Needless to say, drivers and conductors, too, prefer a couple of “Patiala drinks” before taking their food.
“Liquor vends on highways are a nightmare,” remarked a senior police officer of Haryana on condition of anonymity. “We have been bringing to the notice of the state government the number of liquor-induced fatalities on highways but of no use. Highways cannot be safe as long earning revenue from excise is a priority,” he added.
Intriguingly, most of these vends are just 15 to 25 metres from highways though the directions of the apex court, the rules and provisions of the excise policy want them to be minimum 75 metres from the road.
On Wednesday and Thursday last, when Punjab ordered the closure of liquor vends, on national and state highways, those in Haryana did a brisk business.
“We were open yesterday and day before yesterday. Our vend is in Haryana,” remarked the salesman at an IMFL shop near Lalru. Attached to this vend is a makeshift “ahata” — an authorised drinking place — which can hardly accommodate five persons.
The consumers, mostly drivers and commuters, however, use the open space in front of the vend for consuming liquor.
The excise policy of Haryana mandates that only one after every 10 vends will have an “ahata”. But this provision is being blatantly violated throughout the state. For example, Ambala City and Cantonment, have “ahatas”, much more than this permitted ratio. Then there are other “ahatas”, which are unauthorised and located adjacent to a liquor vend.
At Buttana on the national highway No 1, where huge catchy slogans, besides discounted prices of different brands, are painted on the walls of the IMFL vend, is a makeshift “ahata” which has no provision for seating. The “ahata” offers snacks, including eggs, omelette, dry snacks, soda, water and ice cubes.
The most serious violation is at “dhabas” where state-owned long-distance buses stop and where drivers and conductors get their “free booze and meals”. For example, at Surbhi Dhaba Complex near Karnal is an IMFL vend where buses of the Chandigarh Transport Undertaking, Punjab Roadways, PRTC, Himachal, Jammu & Kashmir, Rajasthan, Delhi and Uttar Pradesh halt to force “passengers” to take food there.
When the Tribune team was at the complex on Thursday, it found both crew and passengers of public transport vehicles buying and consuming liquor there. The premises has no authorisation to permit public drinking.
