Bar closure to give a business boost to liquor vends at borders

Thiruvananthapuram: Liquor vends at the State’s borders are likely to see a jump in sales as the state will see the introduction of prohibition in a phased manner.

Mahe, sandwiched between the districts of Kannur and Kozhikode, and under the Puducherry administration, is likely to be a popular haunt as there are more than two dozen liquor shops there.

V. Mohan, a resident, told IANS that a picture saying - from Koylandi (in Kozhikode district) to Mahe "to buy liquor" - is already doing the rounds.

On Tuesday, the Kerala government submitted the new liquor policy to the Kerala High Court and Sep 12 is the last day for the remaining 292 bars in the state.

Under the new policy, only 20 five-star hotels in the state will serve liquor.

From Oct 2 this year, all Sunday's will be dry days. Also, 10 percent of the 383 state-owned retail liquor shops will close down each year.

"As there will be almost 70 dry days, tipplers here who have a per capita consumption of more than 8.3 litres are thinking how to beat the rules," said K. Punnoose, a farmer in the constituency of Chief Minister Oommen Chandy in Puthupally in Kottayam district.

A few drinkers said they were picked liquor from a place on the Kerala-Tamil Nadu border, barely 15 kms from here.

"With the proposed liquor policy on the anvil, we have decided that we will visit the border to buy alcohol," one of them said.