In a desperate bid to get out of the controversy over the decision to allot bar licences to six new five-star hotels despite the Government’s policy of implementing total prohibition in phases, Kerala’s Congress-led ruling UDF on Wednesday decided to tighten its liquor policy and not to issue bar licences to three-star and four-star hotels that secured five-star status through facility upgrading.
“Bar licences will not be sanctioned any more to five-star hotels during the tenure of this Government,” said Chief Minister Oommen Chandy after releasing the UDF’s manifesto for the crucial May 16 Assembly election in Thiruvananthapuram.
The State Government would also put in place stringent norms for granting bar licences to even hotels that were given five-star status in normal course, the Chief Minister said, adding that the five-star hotels would not be allowed to run additional counters for selling hard liquor at cheaper rates.
As per the UDF’s liquor policy, bars are allowed to function only at five-star hotels and all other bars were closed down last year in accordance with this. Despite the policy envisaging implementation of Prohibition within ten years through phase-by-phase reduction in booze sales and consumption, new bar licences were allotted to six five-star hotels recently.
When the issue created problems for Chandy even within the Congress with anti-booze crusaders like PCC president VM Sudheeran coming up with criticisms, he tried to explain that allotting bar licences to five-star hotels was beyond the control of the State Government as Centre was the authority for classification of hotels, an argument that met with instant failure.
The Opposition was quick to accuse Chandy and the UDF of being hypocritical in its liquor policy. Under pressure, Chandy on Tuesday dropped his defence and offered to “correct” the mistakes in the policy if there were any.
“There is no question of withdrawing even an inch from the liquor policy. The UDF is firm that the policy should be flawless. It has now taken a decision to adopt certain measures to make the policy stronger,” said the Chief Minister though he did not disclose the steps that were being taken to make the rules more stringent.