

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Cheers to the New Year! The state government has allowed bars and beer parlours in the state to be open until midnight on December 31.
The first-ever order by the excise department follows a demand from the tourism industry. The normal timing is from 10am to 11pm. The Bevco outlets will function as normal on the day—from 10 am to 9 pm.
Bevco recorded a 19% increase in the Christmas sales this year. Liquor worth Rs 332.62 crore was sold in the state from December 22 to 25, compared to Rs 279.54 crore in previous year.