Only Five-Star Hotels To Serve Liquor In Kerala

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Starting next fiscal, only five-star hotels in Kerala will be serving liquor, while the state will see prohibition in force in 10 years, Chief Minister Oommen Chandy said.

"The 418 bars that were closed this fiscal will not reopen. We are now looking into the legal aspect of closing down the remaining 312 bars. We have to seek legal opinion because we have already collected the annual license fee for this fiscal, and our aim is to see that these 312 bars are closed at the earliest," Chandy told reporters after a meeting of the Congress-led United Democratic Front (UDF).

"Starting from today, apart from the already declared dry days, henceforth all Sundays would be dry days," he said.

"From the next fiscal (2015-16), only five-star hotels will be serving liquor," he said.

Every year, 10 percent of the retail outlets that sell liquor would be closed. "In 10 years from now, Kerala will see prohibition in force," Chandy said.

While the state-owned Beverages Corporation is the sole wholesaler of liquor in the state, there are 383 retail outlets also belonging to the state.

"We will rehabilitate all those who lose their jobs (in bars). They will be given soft loans to start self-employment programmes," he said.
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