kochi if the pwd minister and the excise department are sure that cherthalathiruvananthapuram and kannurkuttipuram roads are not highways why did they allow reopening of the bars the kerala high court asked on tuesday the court said its order of may 19 was misconstruedseverely criticizing the government for considering its order as a blanket approval for reopening bars a single bench of the court said it had only directed the deputy commissioners of excise department to consider each application in tune with the supreme courts guidelines in state of tamil nadu vs vk balu case of 2017 bars and liquor outlets were banned within 500 metres of national and state highways through this judgmenta petition filed by koyilandy municipality councillor vp ibrahim kutty seeking a review of the court order was considered by the single bench in the petition it was pointed out that the pwd minister has categorically stated that the roads are part of the national highwayin an interim order issued on tuesday clarifying its position the court said its may 19 order empowers the respective deputy excise commissioners to even reject the applications if they were informed by either the public works department or any other authorities having jurisdiction over highways that the stretches on which these shops are situated are either national highways or state highways it is strange that my directions have been interpreted by the deputy excise commissioners to mean that it is intended to open such barsliquor shopsthe order of may 19 was issued after considering five petitions filed by bar hotel operators pointing out that cherthalathiruvananthapuram and kannurkuttipuram roads were no more part of the national highway as per notifications issued by the central government in 2014 after considering the petitions the court had asked the excise department to consider the demand of bar hotels situated near the roads to continue operations as these roads were denotified as highways prior to the supreme courts order