THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Striking a conflicting posture with the UDF Government,the INTUC has demanded that the decision to make prior permission of local bodies mandatory for licensing of toddy shops should be rolled back.
INTUC state president R Chandrasekharan said here on Monday that it is not proper to have two power centres dictating terms for the running of toddy shops.
“As a traditional industry of the state , unlike Indian Made Foreign Liquor (IMFL), the government is duty bound to protect the toddy sector and scientific ways to achieve it has to be chalked out,” he said, while inaugurating a dharna of toddy workers under the aegis of the TU in front of the Secretariat on Monday.
Chandrasekharan said that in addition to increasing the production of toddy in the state, steps should be taken for the promotion of value added products from it. “A portion of the income realised from the IMFL trade should be earmarked for the benefit of toddy workers,” he said.
“Toddy workers who had lost their jobs should be accommodated in the IMFL outlets of BEVCO or Consumerfed,” he suggested. Federation president N Azhakeshan led the dharna. V S Ajith Kumar, K Balakrishnna,Vithura Sasi,P G Dev,Thodiyoor Ramachandran and others spoke.