Thiruvananthapuram: With the Kerala government deciding to close all the 730 bars in the state to bring about prohibition in a phased manner, the pro-liquor lobby has gone into a huddle on how to handle this situation.
Chief Minister Oommen Chandy, who on Friday finalised the new liquor policy, will submit to the Kerala High Court on August 26 a road map that the state government has formulated to achieve total prohibition in the next 10 years.
Biju Ramesh, the working president of the Kerala Bar Hotel Association, said that the only option before them is to seek legal redress. “Tomorrow (Sunday), we are having a general body meeting to discuss the latest developments and we expect to come to a firm decision on how to move forward in the light of the state government’s decision,” said Ramesh.
However, from the next fiscal, liquor would be available only in around 16 five star hotels operating in the state and the 344 state government owned retail outlets. The target date when Kerala would be declared a complete dry state has now been fixed as October 2, 2023.
However, office bearers of the South Kerala Hoteliers Forum at a meeting Saturday decided that they would not seek legal recourse against the government’s decision. “We have decided to meet the chief minister to air our genuine grievances...,” said a member of the forum.
Meanwhile, the Kerala State Hotels and Restaurant Association will meet on August 28 to discuss the issue.
The ruling Congress and its ally the Indian Union Muslim League have congratulated the Chandy government on its decision to ban liquor in the state.
Home Minister Ramesh Chennithala said: “The state police will now start a huge anti-liquor campaign... The police would run awareness campaign with the help of the student police cadets and NGOs.”
Chennithala said: “When the availability of liquor goes down due to our new policy, there is every chance of illicit stuff flowing into the state from across the borders. To tackle this, we have decided to take stern measures against the violators. Those indulging in these acts will be charged the ‘Goonda Act’.”
IANS
