What if the bars were shut? Over Wednesday and Thursday, Keralites guzzled down liquor worth `50.92 crore, according to the Kerala State Beverages Corporation (Bevco).
Liquor sales brought in `23.75 crore for Bevco on Thursday, a little less than Wednesday’s ‘collection,’ which had stood at `27.17 crore. Rum topped the list of preferred drink followed by brandy. “There is also a heavy demand for beer, but that is usual for the summer,” a senior Bevco official said.
The government decision not to renew the licence of 418 bars had spurred Bevco’s liquor sales over the past several days. The crisis had eased somewhat by Thursday when several of the 321 bars that were allowed to function were back in business.
The crisis was born out of the delay in finalising the revised liquor policy, which had the cascading effect on the renewal of bar licences as well. The Cabinet had then decided to put off renewing the licences of 418 bars which were deemed substandard. This meant more than half of the state’s 753 bars would remain shut until after the elections.
On the other hand, Bevco’s liquor shops and the few outlets run by the Kerala Co-operative Consumers Marketing Federation Ltd (Consumerfed) made a killing with tipplers making a frantic beeline in their direction. Thursday’s sale of `23.75 crore is in fact 27 per cent higher compared to the same day last year, Bevco officials said. In 2013 March, daily sales had averaged `20 crore a day.
Bevco is handling the situation with additional stock and other manpower arrangements, officials said. They also expect the tempo of sales to slow down in the ccoming days. “We have arranged for additional stocks in the outlets so that customers do not face any hardships. Additional manpower also has been provided wherever necessary,” Bevco general manager Mustapha Kamal Pasha said.
Liquor Ban
A total liquor ban will be in place for 48 hours from 6 pm, April 8 to 6 pm, April 10 in view of the Lok Sabha elections. This is to ensure peaceful and smooth elections, the government said. Orders have also been issued imposing a liquor ban on May 16, the vote counting day.