All of the 60 toddy shops in the Mattancherry and Njarakkal excise ranges in the district continue to remain closed for the third consecutive year after they were initially put on auction in 2014-15.
Another 40-odd shops also didn’t have takers initially. But, they were eventually opened under the departmental management scheme whereby shops are temporarily allocated for slots of 10 days under the direct supervision of the excise department.
“The difficulty in getting buildings for running toddy shops and opposition by local people are the major reasons why there were no takers for these shops. Once closed down, it is always difficult to reopen them,” Suresh Babu, Deputy Excise Commissioner, Ernakulam, told The Hindu .
There are about 800 toddy shops spread across 15 excise ranges in Ernakulam and the ones auctioned had been given for a period of three years starting from the 2014-15 fiscal.
They would be due for fresh auction during the 2017-18 financial year.
Meanwhile, the CITU-affiliated Kerala Samsthana Kallu Chethu Vyavasaya Thozhilali Federation has moved a proposal to the State excise commissioner expressing willingness to operate a limited number of shops not exceeding 10 each in Mattancherry and Njarakkal ranges under the departmental management scheme by pooling together its workforce. The excise department in the district has also given a favourable recommendation to the proposal.
“Many workers have either died or left the scene, leaving just over 100 workers in both the ranges combined who could manage a limited number of shops remaining shut. This way, the jobless workers could be accommodated and quality toddy could be ensured,” said P.N. Seenulal, one of the State secretaries of the federation.
He said that a few contractors, who previously operated toddy shops in their own buildings in both the ranges, had promised to make available their buildings to workers.
A group promoted by a known abkari contractor had evinced interest in operating the closed toddy shops last year.
NO TAKERS
About 800 toddy shops spread across 15 excise ranges in Ernakulam
60 shops in Mattancherry, Njarackal remain closed for third consecutive year
