nainital the supreme court sc order to close liquor shops near highways has forced over 400 vends across uttarakhand to down shutters but tipplers especially in the hills which have long been known for the adage lsquosurya ast pahari mastrsquo when the sun goes down men in the hills get sozzled are managing to get alcohol through the quintessential indian practice of lsquojugaadrsquo a toi team which visited areas in nainital and haldwani on tuesday and wednesday found that chai shops juice kiosks and even snack thelas carts were ready to sell liquor provided one was ready to pay the price asking for a power dose could get you a desi brand while lsquocough syruprsquo is the code for foreign liquor rates are 15 to 30 more than the mrp depending on the brand and availability the team found the area near dr sushila tiwari government medical college at haldwani in particular was found to be a fertile ground for such kiosks and agents when toi approached one of the agents he said ldquoi can get you a lsquopauwaarsquo quarter bottle but you will have to pay rs 100 extra give me the money and wait here how much do you wantrdquo on insisting that the money will be paid once he brings the bottle the man got suspicious and refused to talk further in various other spots like transport nagar of haldwani and bhowali near nainital liquor could be purchased after paying 20 to 30 extra at a juice shop on bareilly road the toi team found a couple of persons openly drinking liquor in plastic glasses supplied by a juice kiosk nainital district has a total of 24 authorised liquor shops out of which 19 are currently shut due to the apex courtrsquos order the shortfall in supply has therefore opened up opportunities for small vendors and even some households and medical shops who sources said are selling liquor to limited and lsquotrusted customersrsquo district officials when queried about the blatant flouting of norms said that they will conduct investigations in the matterrdquo ldquostrict action will be taken against those indulging in any such activityrdquo said janmejay khanduri senior superintendent of police nainital district deepak rawat nainital district magistrate added ldquowe are keeping constant vigil and if anyone is found indulging in illegal liquor sale a case will be promptly registeredrdquo