A move is on within Kerala’s ruling UDF to dilute its own recently announced liquor policy envisaging total liquor ban. The plan is to allow the 121 beer-wine parlours in the State to continue functioning and to give licences for more such outlets in the name of efforts to compensate for the revenue loss the liquor ban is expected to cause.
Congress leaders close to Chief Minister Oommen Chandy say that the UDF has not taken a final decision against giving licences for new beer-wine parlours. This is in contrast with State party president VM Sudheeran’s repeated assertion that the proposal to open new wine-beer parlours had already been rejected by the UDF.
According to Chandy-loyalists in the Congress, the next UDF meeting will discuss the question of whether or not to allow the opening of new beer-wine parlours in the State. The meeting will also try to identify fresh sources for revenue mobilization in the context of an annual revenue loss of over Rs 8,000 crore the liquor ban is expected to cause.
Certain sections in the Government and the UDF are firm that licences for new beer-wine parlours should be given as the 710 non-five-star class bars in the State are closed as part of the liquor ban apart from allowing the existing 121 such parlours to continue operation. Anti-liquor campaigners say that such a decision would defeat the spirit of the planned Prohibition.
According to Finance Minister KM Mani, chairman of the Kerala Congress (M), third biggest constituent of the UDF, the question of whether to issue licences for more beer-wine parlours in the State is to be taken up by the State Cabinet. He says this is a policy issue as far as the Government is concerned.
Government Chief Whip PC George, vice-chairman of the Kerala Congress (M), said the other day that more beer-wine parlours should be opened in Kerala. “This has two advantages. It will help in the gradual eradication of liquor menace. Also, it will be useful in ensuring that the employees in the bar sector will not lose their jobs due to the liquor ban,” he said.
As per the liquor ban decision taken by the UDF on august 21 and ratified by the Cabinet the very next day, no bars except those in the 20 five-star hotels will function after October 2 and ten percent of the retail liquor outlets — run by two Government agencies —will be closed every year leading to Prohibition in the next ten years.
Opposition to the idea of allowing more beer-wine parlours has already come up from within the UDF camp itself. PM Sadiqali, president of the Muslim Youth league, the youth wing of prominent UDF partner Muslim league, said that his outfit would launch an agitation if the Government decided to give permission to new beer-wine parlours.
At the same time, the Kerala Government is expected to submit an affidavit in the High Court on Tuesday, as directed by the Supreme Court last week, reiterating its commitment to total liquor ban. The affidavit will make it clear that the decision to close down all the 710 non-five-star category bars in the State is the first stage of implementing total booze ban.
According to the affidavit to be filed in response to a batch of petitions from bar owners challenging the Government order to close down their establishments (from September 12), the decision to cancel bar licences cannot be questioned as these were temporary permissions and because liquor trade is not a fundamental right.
The Supreme Court had last week pronounced an interim verdict asking the State Government to permit the bar owners to run their shops till September 30 before which date the High Court should settle the case finally. The affidavit will say that the bars at five-star hotels are being allowed to run bars as per the provisions under Central rules.