Panaji (Goa)

 In what is expected to provide relief to the almost all the outlets which were hit by the ban on selling liquor along the highway, Goa government today decided to provide relief to those outlets in the panchayats which are next to municipal areas.

The committee to decide on the issue  which met today decided to recommend to the State Finance department to consider these outlets which are falling in the areas contigeous to the municipalities or those which are sufficiently developed should be notified as cluster towns.

Those outlets which are in the cluster town will be excluded from the Supreme Court order which had banned selling of liquor along the highways.

Committee member Vijai Sardesai said that the introduction of cluster town concept is provided in the SC judgment. “There are total 1332 outlets which have faced the closure due to SC order of which 1,021 will get relief due to cluster town concept,” he said.

He said that issue of 300 outlets which would remain to be covered after introduction of cluster towns would be taken on case-to-case basis.

Sardesai said that by and large almost all the outlets will get relief as there are some areas in North Goa including Dhargal, Patradevi and Virnoda which will be covered under proposed Mopa Planning and Development Authority and hence would get the relief.