THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: People of Kerala did not fail to break the record in liquor consumption this Onam too. Over an eight-day period preceding Thiruvonam, tipplers in the state consumed liquor worth Rs 487 crore -- an increase of Rs 30 crore as compared to the same period last year.
On Uthradam day (September 10) alone, the state consumed liquor worth Rs 90.32 crore. Last year, the liquor sale on Uthradam day stood at Rs 80.08 crore.
The maximum liquor sale of Rs 1.04 crore was recorded on Uthradam day at an outlet of the state-run Beverages Corporation (Bevco) at Irinjalakuda in Thrissur. However, it was a drop from last year when the outlet sold Rs 1.22 crore worth of liquor, surprisingly amid the worst flood in a century. The second and third spots in terms of liquor sales were clinched by Bevco outlets at Court Junction, Alappuzha (Rs 93.88 lakh), and at Power House Road in Thiruvanathapuram (Rs 92.93 lakh) during the day of Uthradam.
The government had increased the tax rate on the sale of all kinds of foreign liquor, including beer and wine, through Bevco outlets by two per cent in the state budget earlier this year. This price hike may have also contributed to the increased revenue from liquor sale, officials said.