The Big Story: Highway blues

The Supreme Court has decided to uphold a 2016 order banning the sale of alcohol within 500 metres of state highways. The order had been in response to a petition which said 1.42 lakh people died in road accidents every year and drunk driving was a major cause. It seems well-intentioned but misdirected and shortsighted. Even if the idea of the ban came from the Centre and not the court, as the judgment says, it speaks of a paternalistic state hectoring unruly citizens into behaving themselves.

While the National Crime Records Bureau’s data on drunk driving is said to be inconsistent, estimates put out by the Community Against Drunk Driving in 2011 said it caused 70% of all fatalities on the road. It is, however, debatable whether cracking down on the sale of liquor in certain areas will turn this tragic trend. What is to stop drinkers from having their tipple more than 500 metres from a highway and then driving rashly? And what of accidents that take place on roads that are not highways? The changes to the Motor Vehicles Act could be a more effective deterrent; the fine for drunk driving has been increased by five times to Rs 10,000 and if the victim is killed, it is a non-bailable offence punishable by up to 10 years in jail. Besides, the court order tries to sidestep the slow, painful work of creating awareness about all forms of rash driving and their consequences, of directing citizens towards more responsible choices instead of choosing for them.

Meanwhile, the court order could have a considerable economic impact. It promises to wipe out liquor stalls and smaller roadside places selling alcohol. It has also been disastrous for the various bars and restaurants that have cropped up along highways in recent years, the shiny establishments where India’s much-vaunted new economy goes to do business or take a breather. The order has now led to the ridiculous spectacle of states scrambling to denotify their highways, fearing losses in jobs and revenue. Alcohol markets have boomed over the last few years in India, in tandem with a growing hospitality industry. These are realities that puritanical court orders and prohibition cannot wish away.

The Big Scroll

Rohan Venkataramakrishnan goes through the Supreme Court judgment to find a ban on alcohol along highways had been recommended by the Centre and endorsed by the expert body.

As the liquor ban hits businesses, some states try to denotify their highways.

Political pickings

  1. Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurates the Chenani-Nashri tunnel at Jammu and addresses himself to the Kashmiri youth: they must choose between “tourism” and “terrorism”.
  2. The Dalai Lama prepares to visit Arunachal Pradesh, raising hackles in China and giving India leverage in old border disputes.
  3. Finance Minister Arun Jaitley says parties have been asked for their opinion on electoral bonds.

Punditry

  1. In the Indian Express, PS Krishnan argues that the new commission for backward classes should plug the gaps in the Mandal project.
  2. In the Telegraph, Manini Chatterjee on the attack of vegetarianism.
  3. In the Hindu, C Rangarajan on the need to boost investment by creating a climate of trust.

Giggles

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Aakash Karkare on the animated Ramayana that never came to Indian screens because of protests by the Vishwa Hindu Parishad:

“Feeling that a live action film could not do justice to the mythological tale, Sako decided to take the animation route and collaborated with legendary Indian animator Ram Mohan. ‘Because Ram is God, I felt it was best to depict him in animation, rather than by an actor,’ Sago said in an interview.

The catch was that while animation is an elevated art form that deals with serious themes in Japan, it is still considered a children’s genre in India. The Hindu fundamentalist group Vishwa Hindu Parishad protested the depiction of gods and goddesses as cartoon figures, forcing the film to be completed in Japan. The fact that the movie was being made at the height of the Ram Janmabhoomi movement, which culminated in the destruction of the Babri Masjid on December 6, 1992, further axed its chances of an Indian release.”