The Hynñiewtrep Integrated Territorial Organisation (HITO) has lodged a formal complaint with the Union Ministry of Road Transport and Highways, alleging widespread violations of the Supreme Court’s 2016 directives and central government guidelines that prohibit the sale of alcohol along national highways in Meghalaya.

In a letter addressed to the Secretary of the Ministry, HITO said that an RTI reply obtained from the Office of the Commissioner of Excise, Government of Meghalaya, confirmed that no No Objection Certificates (NOCs) had been obtained from the Ministry for wine shops operating along national highways within the state.

The Excise Department, according to the RTI response, also admitted that there is “no legal definition or basis” for the so-called “Shop Code” or “Shop Open”

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