The Supreme Court on Thursday said all liquor shops along national and state highways across the country must be closed down and no new ones can be set up within a radius of 500 metres of the roads. The apex court also asked the Central and state governments to ensure that no liquor shop is visible or accessible from highways, reported The Indian Express.

The bench, led by Chief Justice of India TS Thakur, also ordered the governments not to issue licences for selling liquor along highways and added that no existing licence will be renewed after March 31, 2017. All signage from liquor shops on the highways will also be brought down, reported the Hindustan Times.

The state chief secretaries and the police along with excise and municipal authorities will now have to come up with a plan to ensure all the orders are implemented and followed. The court was hearing several petitions that challenged different high court verdicts on the sale of liquor on highways.