SC highway booze ban causes long lines, short tempers TIMESOFINDIA.COM | Apr 3, 2017, 10.59 AM IST Thousands of liquor shops and bars on highways went dry on Saturday as authorities went full steam ahead to enforce the Supreme Court's ban on the sale of alcohol along national and state highways. Here's a look at the impact that the apex court's order is having: Thousands of liquor shops and bars on highways went dry on Saturday as authorities went full steam ahead to enforce the Supreme Court's ban on the sale of alcohol along national and state highways. Here's a look at the impact that the apex court's order is having:

DELHI & NCR As many as 100 restaurants, liquor vendors and bars - including in five star hotels - along the Capital region's six national highways stopped serving alcohol on April 1. In Noida, 42 liquor stores no longer sell and serve booze. In Gurugram, 106 of a 292 highway bars and vends have stopped selling or serving alcoholic drinks.

PUNJAB The state government is still figuring out how many hotels, restaurants (which serve liquor) and bars are located along the national highways. District excise and taxation commissioners have been directed to find out - within a day - the number of hotels, bars and restaurants that are within 500 metres of the highways in the state, a senior official said, adding that 1,300 to 1,400 liquor vends have already been closed and moved to other locations.

HARYANA Around 200 bars in Haryana are affected by the apex court's order. "The ban has affected 194 out of 478 bars in Haryana, most of which are in Gurugram. Of the total 292 bars in Gurugram, this order will affect 106," a state excise official said.

RAJASTHAN Around 2,800 liquor shops situated in or along national and state highways in Rajasthan have been affected by the Supreme Court's order. "Out of 7,760 liquor shops, which were given licences in the financial year 2016-17, 2,800 fell within the 500-metre radius from highways. Most of the shops have been shifted to other place from their highway location and the remaining few closed because of the non-availability of suitable locations," a state excise official said.

WEST BENGAL Not a single liquor outlet was open on Kona Expressway, Bombay Road. Some even has "Bar Closed" notices on their doors. Several bars in the districts of Howrah, Hooghly, South and North 24 Parganas and Burdwan were also shut. However, bars along the EM Bypass, VIP Road, and parts of Jessore Road were doing brisk business as the state government recently dropped them from the list of highways.

ODISHA The government said 1,167 outlets located within 500 meters of national highways have been shut. They include 60 hotels, 205 restaurants, 51 beer bars, one military canteen and 74 country spirit shops.

MAHARASHTRA According to the state hotel association, at least 1,000 star hotels have been affected after authorities enforced the ban in the state. The state government has claimed it will lose Rs 7,000 crore a year because of the ban.

GOA Some 30 per cent of liquor outlets in Goa have shut since Saturday following the top Court's order. "…but the state government is working out a solution which would save many of them," said the All Goa Liquor Traders Association president said on Sunday.

KARNATAKA Of the 10,149 liquor store licences issued by the Karnataka Excise Department, bars and hotels comprise as many as 5,950. And most of these outlets - 2,510 wine shops, 1,599 bars, 219 star hotels and 173 clubs - are located within 500 metres of highways

TAMIL NADU The SC ban has hit Tamil Nadu in a big way with the closure of 3,320 outlets, which more than half of the total shops run by the sole state-owned retailer Tamil Nadu State Marketing Corporation (TASMAC). Meanwhile, opposition parties, including the DMK and the PMK, have welcomed the Supreme Court's ban order.