THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: A sweeping ban by the High Court on the sale of bottled drinking water under 5 litres and soft beverages in bottles below two litres has drawn sharp criticism from multiple corners as traders and customers termed it an impractical decision. Hotels, restaurants and packaged drinking water and beverage industries in the state felt the move was ill-conceived and could adversely affect business.
With the order set to come into effect on October 2, stakeholders across the state have slammed the move as impractical, and issued without a proper study. According to them, the order will deprive the public of safe and accessible drinking water.
Kerala Hotels and Restaurants Association (KHRA) condemned the directive terming it as an ill-conceived move that is going to adversely impact daily life of the public. KHRA president G Jayapal said the ban could severely disrupt daily operations of hotels and restaurants. Moreover, the public will be left without a reliable source of safe drinking water. Implementing the HC ban would be a major blow to consumers, they pointed out.
With only a couple of months before the ban comes into effect, the industry is gearing up to move the Kerala High Court seeking a review of the order.
According to the Kerala Packaged Drinking Water Manufacturers Association, the ban order was issued without proper study or discussion with the stakeholders. The association said the ban would deal a big blow to Kerala’s tourism industry, which relies heavily on packaged drinking water.