THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: More liquor deals are tumbling out of the closet, putting the LDF Government and Excise Minister TP Ramakrishnan in a fix. It has now come out that the government had given a private player the nod to start a brewery though the same application was rejected two years ago on the grounds that the government was pursuing a policy of reducing liquor availability.
In an order dated June 28, 2018, the Taxes Department green-signalled an application by Chennai-based Appollo Distilleries and Breweries Pvt Ltd to establish a brewery in Elapully village in Palakkad. The brewery will have an annual capacity of 5 lakh hectolitres (one hectolitre is equal to 100 litres) of beer, as per the approval.
Interestingly, the LDF Government had rejected the same application by the same company in July 2016 --- two months after the Pinarayi Vijayan Government came to power --- citing the Abkari Policy, which recommended a reduction in liquor availability.
Apollo Industries had first approached the state government in 2010 for setting up the brewery in Elapully village. The application was rejected in 2013, citing the Abkari Policy. Two years later, Appollo submitted a fresh application stating that eco-friendly effluent-treatment methods would be part of the brewery. The company also claimed the water would be sourced through rainwater harvesting and recycling. In 2016, the High Court ordered the state government to take a decision on the application.