The Shiv Sena is planning to hold an agitation outside civic headquarters on Thursday against the decision to denotify state and national highway stretches passing through the city and enable reopening of liquor sale within the 500-metre area of the roads. “The Sena is against enabling the reopening of the liquor sale, which has been banned by the Supreme Court within 500-metre area of the highways,” said Sanjay Bhosale, Sena leader in PMC. According to a city-based organisation, People’s Union, Guardian Minister Girish Bapat has taken the initiative of getting state and national highways denotified to enable the sale of liquor in restricted areas. “City mayor and other political parties had welcomed the Supreme Court decision, while urging for its strict implementation. The guardian minister, however, wants to resume the liquor sale that was stopped after the court’s decision, citing revenue loss,” said Ramesh Dharmavat of People’s Union. Earlier, the state PWD department had urged the PMC to seek denotification of the highways but the civic body refused to do so, saying they were property of state and union governments, while the PMC was merely maintaining them. After a meeting with state PWD, NHAI and revenue department officers, the PMC sent a letter to the state government to denotify the state and national highways.
