The maddening rush at the Kerala State Beverages Corporation (Bevco) outlets in the district on Friday is seen as an early indication of things to come in the event the State government manages to clear the legal hurdles and enforce its new liquor policy bordering on near prohibition.
Bevco outlets in the city and across the district were crowded till evening when bars that were closed down the previous day were reopened following a stay on the enforcement of the single bench verdict directing closure of all bars except those in four star, five star and heritage hotels.
The staff virtually had to wade through the waiting customers when they arrived to open the outlets in the morning.
“Long queues were the order of the day and they spilled on to the road, creating traffic hurdles besides posing inconvenience for nearby residents. If the government intends to close down bars, then immediate steps should be taken to relocate majority of these outlets and provide them with enough space,” said Ajayan, an employee at the Bevco outlet at the busy Vyttila junction.
C.K. Manisankar, secretary of the CITU-affiliated Kerala Samsthana Videsha Madya Vyavasaya Thozhilali Union, said the situation was worse in the northern districts, especially in Ernakulam. “Outlets doing sales worth Rs. 10 lakh or more must at least have 12 persons. Majority of the 45-odd Bevco outlets in the district fall in this category but none of them have the prescribed staff strength. In fact, there are outlets that manage with just one-fourth of that strength. Our demand for fixing staff pattern has gone unheeded for ages,” he said.
The work load became so unbearable on Friday that one of the three workers in an outlet at Kizhakkamablam collapsed. Most of the outlets function out of cramped buildings hardly having any space for accommodating more counters or additional staff even if allotted.
“The government should have gone ahead with its policy only after addressing all these pressing issues. Even discounting the fact that two consecutive dry days might have caused the rush on Friday, things would be really bad even otherwise in case bars are closed and no improvements are made in the functioning of outlets,” Mr. Manisankar said.
He said the delegates’ meet of the Union, which got under way in Thrissur on Saturday, would discuss the problems faced by the employees and give shape to strong protest programmes on Sunday.
