Diu and other Union Territories lose out on tourism post liquor ban

NEW DELHI: Picturesque Diu, linked by a bridge to Gujarat's southern coast, bears a deserted look. After the Supreme Court last month prohibited sale of liqour within 500 m of highways, 80 of 100 establishments in this former Portuguese colony have downed shutters and inflow of tourists from Gujarat, a dry state, has dropped to a trickle.
"The 500 m guideline is not practically possible for the island, which stretches over 12 km as it will land many of the establishments into the sea. We don't know when this district road got notified as national highway 251 in 2014," said Yatin Fugro, representative of the local Diu Hotels Association. “If the administrators of a Union Territory can recommend a district road to be notified as a highway, then they can also recommend for a de-notification.”

While some state governments have been working on de-notification measures since the March 31 court ruling, some UTs are grappling with their own unique challenges with national highways cutting through critical cities, which has led to a substantial drop in business. Hotel associations in UTs like Daman and Diu, Chandigarh, and Dadra and Nagar Haveli are approaching the central government on rerouting or de-notifying some of these highways.





"Our members have approached the minister of road transport and highways, Nitin Gadkari, on the matter and he has asked for an enquiry," said Fugro. In Chandigarh, hotel association members are planning to approach the central government officials for rerouting national highway 21, which crosses sector 35 and 43.

"The current national highway is very old and it passes right through the heart of the city and it does not meet the parameters of the national highway if you consider the vehicular traffic and width of the road," said Ankit Gupta, president, Chandigarh Hospitality Association.

“When it was made, it was on the periphery of the city, as the city was smaller. Now the city has grown and a new road under the central road fund has been constructed on the periphery of the city, crossing Purva Marg towards sector 39 and 50. It can easily be rerouted if the ministry wants. It would not be circumvension in any manner."

In Dadra and Nagar Haveli, the month of April has been a complete washout, with 51 licence holders and most three- and four-star category hotels being hit. "People come to resorts and stay there as residents. We are planning to approach the bureaucrats to seek exemptions for such tourists," said Vishamber Shewakramani, managing director, Ras Resorts, Silvassa.

“We are not violating the order of the Supreme Court, but people staying in hotels and resorts are not driving drunk and exceptions could be made for them. There is hope that the government will intervene and will say that the objective of this order has not been achieved.” In Maharashtra, the government moved to de-notify the western and eastern express highways last week.

To minimise excise revenue loss and contain the damage to the hospitality industry, state governments are looking at ways to circumvent or tackle the court order. Many states are exploring the option of denotifying state highways within cities and towns and turning them into urban roads. Some states have also approached the Centre to find out if they can convert national highways into city roads.