CHENNAI: In a rare Centre-state bonhomie, the Tamil Nadu and central governments have moved the Supreme Court to modify or dilute the apex court's ruling directing removal of all liquor vending outlets along national and state highways , and banning such outlets anywhere within 500 metres of the highways.While the Centre wants the ban limited only to shops and not to hotels serving liquor, the state wants the distance reduced and deadline extended.On December 15, 2016, the apex court passed the order on a batch of PILs, including the first one that was filed in the Madras high court by advocate K Balu.By a landmark verdict, the Supreme Court has set a deadline to close all liquor vending outlets along national and state highways by April 1, 2017, and to ensure that no such outlet was located within 500 metres of the outer periphery of these highways.Now, Tamil Nadu's state-run TASMAC has filed an application in the Supreme Court requesting that the 500-metre bar on locating a liquor outlet be reduced to a mere 100 metre. It also has sought extension of deadline to relocate the outlets. As against the April 1, 2016, which is hardly 10 days away, Tamil Nadu now wants the date to be modified and extended till November 28, 2017.More importantly, referring to the apex court ruling that the ban order would apply to all shops located on highway stretches falling within the limits of municipal corporation, city, town or local authority, TASMAC now wants the ban be limited to highway stretches passing through only corporations and municipalities.Armed with an opinion from none other than attorney general Mukul Rohatgi, the Centre too is pressing for a modification in the order, so that the ban and restrictions on location vis-a-vis the highways could be limited only to liquor vending outlets and not hotels.In his controversial opinion dated February 24, Rohatgi said: "The judgment and directions contained therein apply to liquor shops wherein liquor is sold as retail items. The judgment does not bring within its sweep restaurants and hotels that serve (liquor) on their premises. The idea is to ensure that there are no liquor vends/shops within close proximity of these roads as per the directions of the court, so that easy source of purchasing and consuming liquor is prohibited."The Madras high court as well as the Supreme Court laid down restrictions on liquor shops on state and national highways, besides insisting that they should be located at least 500 metre away from highways, only in view of the large number of road accidents and fatalities occurring in the country on account of drunken driving. The PILs linked proximity of liquor shops and the national highways, and said the shops induced drivers to purchase liquor and consume while driving.The Supreme Court will hear the petitions on March 27.

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