Beer shortage hits Mangalore after rains damage carton boxes

 

Mangalore, 31 May 2013: Rain in the past few days may have brought respite from the sweltering heat. However, for those dependent on a daily dose of beer to beat the heat, it has been gloomy days.

 

Almost all the retail stores in Mangalore taluk are facing at least 35% to 45% shortage of the popular bitter alcoholic beverage. The reason - Karnataka State Beverages Corporation Limited is going slow on unloading operations because of damage to beer and IMFL cartons (packaging material) due to rain.

 

Each beer carton has nine to 24 bottles and in the absence of it, the bottles have to be unloaded individually. Sources in KSBCL said earlier labourers used to unload 15 trucks a day which has now come down to barely four to five. Louis Pinto, a dealer says, "We have had serious problems since the supply is down by 40%. The summer saw good sales of beer. While I sold 1,281 cases of beer in April, this month I could get just 815 cases. What is the use of getting stocks in the monsoon, when the sales are usually down?"

 

Retail units where beer is a fast moving beverage are seeing some increased sales of hard liquor. The problem is not only with retailers who cannot meet customers demand, but also truck drivers who have arrived with the load. Truck driver Kumar from Yeshwantpur, Bangalore who reached the city on Wednesday said his truck is still waiting for unloading. "Earlier, we used to go back within six to eight hours after arrival. Today the officials are saying that I will have to wait till Monday or Tuesday," he said.

 

Another driver R Ramappa from Bangalore, said, "We get Rs 100 per day for food. That amount is sufficient if we are on the move. Here we need at least Rs 200 and the food is not palatable." Ramappa is used to mudde’ and saaru. Apart from food, there are problems with mosquitoes and toilet. "The godown watchman does not allow us to use the toilet inside. We have to use open grounds," he added.

 

A KSBC official said, "Things should be sorted out by Monday. We have sought permission from the head office to work on Sunday to clear the backlog and help unloading operations. The local brewery has also supplied carton boxes to repack the bottles. The companies have also assured to reduce the load till this situation is cleared."