Mangaluru: The illegal sale of liquor in rural areas in the district has increased following ban on sale of liquor within 500 meters along the national and state highways.

From July 1, 2017, when the ban was imposed and all the liquor shops and bars within the 500 meters from the highway were evicted, the excise department official in the district have registered 536 cases of illegal liquor sale and seized 328.57 litres of liquor. It was revealed at the recent general meeting of the zilla panchayat.

Post ban, many people had complained to the authorities concerned about illegal liquor sale in petty shops, provisional stores, houses and by individuals. “After the liquor vends were evicted from the highways, people had to travel long distances to get liquor.

Cashing in on the situation, some people have been purchasing liquor in huge quantities and selling in areas where there are no liquor shops for almost double the MRP. This is happening even now in rural areas,” revealed a person from Moodbidri, who had earlier approached the excise department to curb such activities.