KOCHI: Tipplers made to wait in serpentine queues in front of liquor outlets, braving the vagaries of nature, have got the much-needed solace from an unexpected quarter on Thursday. The Kerala High Court has asked the State Beverages Corporation (Bevco) to consider putting an end to the present practice of barricading the outlet. Adequate waiting area must be provided for people lining up to buy liquor on the shop premises.
The court observed the long queues are an affront to the dignity of the common. The dignity of the person coming to buy liquor, the free ingress and egress to the residents of the neighbourhood, prevention of nuisance due to haphazard parking of vehicles by persons coming to buy liquor are all things to be taken note of.
The Excise Department should take strict action in this regard. The court made the observation while considering a petition filed by three traders in Thrissur seeking a directive to shut down the Bevco outlets functioning near their shops.
The traders in their petition pointed out the outlets have become a nuisance to people in the area including the petitioners. The long queues in front of the outlets restrict ingress and egress to the petitioner’s premises and infringes on the fundamental rights of the petitioner to do business. As there are only a few outlets functioning in the city post the Supreme Court order, people are thronging the outlet making it difficult for the petitioners to continue their business.