Tipplers make merry, spend Rs 487 cr on liquor during Onam

Thiruvananthapuram: Tipplers in Kerala gulped down liquor worth Rs 487 crore during the eight days preceding Thiru Onam. Last year, the amount stood at Rs 457 crore.

The period refers to the eight days between September 3 and 10.

Onam is the traditional harvest festival celebrated across the various religious communities in the state.

On the first Onam, the sale of liquor was recorded at Rs 90.32 crore, up from Rs 88 crore in the previous year. As in the past the state-owned Kerala State Beverages Corporation outlet at Irinjalakuda in Thrissur district recorded the highest sale of Rs 1.44 crore, up from Rs 1.22 crore last year.

Liquor is sold in Kerala only through state-owned outlets.