KOCHI: Tipplers said ‘three cheers’ on Sunday with almost 20 bars resuming operations in the district. A festive mood prevailed in most of the bars as the owners made arrangements to greet customers with traditional percussion music.The customers thronged several of these bars by 11 am. By noon, the crowd swelled and the skeleton staffers had a tough time trying to cater to the demands of those eager to have their fill.
In anticipation of heavy rush on D-Day, the bars had stocked enough brands on the eve of new liquor policy coming into force. Though the prices were twice as high of those charged by Bevco outlets, it failed to deter tipplers. Some of the customers did not hide their delight at the LDF Government’s new liquor policy which paved the way for the bars’ reopening.
“We are really happy. We love the ambience here and it is more enjoyable having a couple of pegs here at the bar rather than buying a bottle of liquor and having it within the confines of our room,” said Rajesh (name changed on request) who reached ‘Park Central’ Hotel on Kaloor-Kadavathra Road.He said there was no board in front of the hotel other than old ‘Beer and Wine’ signage. “I enquired with the security guard and he said the bar is open. I was one of the first to reach here,” said Rajesh.
In some other hotels like ‘The Landmark’ near Kaloor stadium, business could not start in the morning since the stock arrived only by 2 pm. “We visited ‘The Landmark’ but had to settle for a bottle of beer. They told us the bar will open only by 5 pm. However, we think this is a good decision,” said another tippler.
Meanwhile, protests were staged by various organisations across the state against the decision to reopen bars. A total of 77 liquor outlets in hotels with three star rating and above resumed functioning on Sunday. Several of the protests were taken out by the Opposition Congress.
While maximum number of bars(20) reopened in Ernakulam, 11 bars resumed functioning in Thiruvananthapuram, nine in Thrissur, eight in Kannur, six each in Kottayam and Palakkad, five in Kozhikode, four in Malappuram, three in Kollam, two in Alappuzha, two in Wayanad and one in Idukki.