Tipplers line up at reopened outlets in Kerala
Tipplers made a beeline to the bars of the 77 liquor outlets on the day that they reopened in Kerala recently. As part of its new liquor policy, the state government had renewed the bar licences of hotels that were classified three stars or above.
The CPI(M)-led LDF government had last month unveiled its new liquor policy which also permitted the serving of toddy in these hotels from July 1. As bars opened at 11 am on Sunday, July 2—the first day of every month the outlets will remain closed—heavy rush was seen in various outlets.
While the maximum number of bars reopened in Ernakulam district (20), in capital district Thiruvananthapuram 11 outlets reopened, and in Thrissur, the cultural capital, nine reopened. The working hours of these bars will be 11AM to 11 PM. In tourism zones, they will function from 10 AM to 11 AM.
According to excise commissioner Rishi Raj Singh, 80 bars had applied for a licence but the licence was given only to 73 to reopen. The rest are pending as the department is still checking the star status of these hotels.
