Daijiworld Media Network - Bengaluru (SP)

Bengaluru, Aug 18: The central government has dumped the state's proposal to denotify stretches of national highway passing through the city limits. The state had made this move to save liquor outlets functioning within 500 metres of national highways to escape from the clutches of a recent Supreme Court judgement.

A copy of the letter written to the state government by union department of highways and surface transport on August 14 in this connection, was submitted to the state high court by legal counsel for union government, Jayakar Shetty.

On Thursday, a single judge bench of the high court presided over by Justice Vineet Kothari, examined petitions seeking directions to the central government to denotify 77.64 km of national highway passing through this city and bring it under the local administration. During this period, Jayakar Shetty, who submitted the said letter of the central government, said that it was not feasible to admit the proposal sent by the state government.

The letter of the central government points out that extending concession to roads passing through towns and cities defeats the very purpose of adopting public safety policy. Therefore, it notes that directions issued by Supreme Court under Article 142 of Supreme Court have to be complied with. Shetty said that the proposal of the state government to denotify 609.65 km of national highways in the state has been scrutinized in detail in various angles including technical one, and it has been found that it cannot be accepted. "Bengaluru city does not have a peripheral road. Supreme Court has already concluded that such roads cannot be denotified. Therefore, the proposal of Karnataka government cannot be accepted," the union government stated in its response.