THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The LDF Government’s approach to the liquor policy is distressing and unfortunate, Archbishop M Soosa Pakiam, president of Kerala Catholic Bishops’ Conference (KCBC), said on Thursday.
He condemned Wednesday’s Cabinet decision to amend the Kerala Panchayat Raj Act and the Kerala Municipalities Act to cancel the power held by local bodies over liquor shops. Through this, the government has armed the Excise Department with powers to open liquor shops anywhere across the state, he said.
The new liquor policy should be formulated only after discussions with anti-liquor organisations, Soosa Pakiam said. Religious leaders and anti-liquor activists would meet Governor P Sathasivam on Friday to convey their opposition to the government’s move.