Kerala bars to be closed by September 12

 

• 15 days’ notice will be served on all bars except 20 bars in five-star hotels

 

Thiruvananthapuram, 26 Aug 2014: The bars will have to close by September 12, Minister for Excise, Fisheries and Ports K. Babu told the media after an official conference to discuss implementation of the policy.

 

 

The government will serve notice for revocation of licences of 312 functioning bars under new abkari policy on Thursday after the Cabinet clears certain procedural matters on Wednesday.

 

The Minister said that 15 days’ notice would be served on all bars except 20 bars in five-star hotels as per the advice of the Advocate General. Notices will also be served on 418 bars whose licences were not renewed this year.

 

Mr. Babu said that there was no proposal to allow automatic conversion of the bars into beer and wine parlours. However, hotels were free to apply for licences for such parlours under the current policy. A decision had been taken to increase the licence fee for beer and wine parlours from Rs.4 lakh to Rs.5 lakh a year.

 

He said that the stocks of liquor with the bars would have to be taken back by the Kerala State Beverages Corporation when the bars are closed next month.

 

Besides, the licence free collected for the financial year would have to be refunded to the functioning bars in proportion to the remaining days of the year. This would come to about Rs.40 crore.

 

The Minister recalled that this year the renewal was granted on a provisional basis as the government could not finalise the abkari policy in view of the code of conduct of the elections and the government’s plan to reduce number of bars. Hence, provisions had been incorporated in the licence conditions for revocation of the licences and refund of the licence fee. The department would now propose changes to the rules to simplify the process.

 

Asked whether he had been disturbed by the new policy as reactions indicated, the Minister said that he was indeed worried about the task of enforcing prohibition and preventing sale of illicit liquor. The Excise Department needed to be strengthened for the purpose. More check-posts and heightened vigil would be required at the border districts. The department, which now has only a miniscule intelligence set up, would need a State-wide intelligence network.