The Kerala government on Monday decided to close bars, beer and wine parlours and private member’s clubs having the permit to sell liquor due to the COVID-19 threat in the State.
A Cabinet meeting chaired by Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan has, for the time being, allowed State-run retail liquor outlets to operate with severe restrictions on crowding, except in Kasaragod where there is a total ban on the sale of legal alcohol.
The district, which saw a surge of COVID-19 cases, has been on lockdown since Saturday.
The government’s move will bring the shutters down on 600 bars, 358 beer and wine parlours and 43 “liquor permit rooms” in private clubs.
Kerala has, arguably, the highest per capita consumption of alcohol in the country. The sale of legal liquor is also a significant source of State revenue. In 2018-19 fiscal, Bevco raked in ₹14,504.67 from the sale of branded liquor, beer and wine, a raise of ₹1,567.8 crores compared to the previous financial year.
The government appeared to have taken a gamble on allowing the limited sale of liquor through State-run stores to offset the temporary squeeze on the availability of legal alcohol caused by the closure of bars and beer parlours.
The Excise Department had cautioned the government that a total ban on the sale of legal liquor could open the door for the entry of bootleg and illicit spirit of dubious quality and suspicious provenance into Kerala.
Speculation was rife in the State that the government would clamp down on the sale of alcohol since morning. It triggered long queues in front of Kerala State Beverages Corporation (Bevco) run outlets across the State, which the authorities struggled to control.
The government had asked customers to keep a distance of at least 1.5 m from one another. Moreover, it had restricted the number of persons allowed to enter a liquor store at a time to five.
The Bevco also required buyers to wash their hands with soap before entering its outlets. The Corporation has made water and soap available for the public in front of its stores.
The government is yet to decide on the functioning of the 4,800 odd traditional toddy shops in Kerala.
Opposition wants total ban
The Congress-led United Democratic Front Opposition had accused the government of having traded off public interest for the patronage of the liquor lobby by not banning liquor sales during the outbreak.
Leader of the Opposition Ramesh Chennithala has demanded a total ban on the sale of liquor till the threat of the pandemic receded and said he was unsatisfied with the closure of bars alone. UDF activists attempted to disrupt the auctioning of toddy shops in Wayanad. They have also promised to lay siege to Bevco outlets if the government did not close them.
The Indian Medical Association had also made a similar appeal to the State government.
