Women who came to protest against the newly shifted Bevco outlet in Varikkani area in Kuravilangad.Kottayam: Even as the shifting of Indian Manufactured Foreign Liquor (IMFL) outlets on the national and the state highways continue to send ripples across the state, a recent such move by an outlet gained spotlight for its belligerence.
On Wednesday evening, a Kerala State Beverages Corporation (Bevco) retail outlet found its new site in Madayakunnu, Kuravilangad, which was, in fact, a residential building where a family was staying on rent. Sudhir and his family were evicted forcibly without even allowing them to carry their belongings and even the food they had prepared.
The family was in the dark about the agreement made between the renter of the building and Bevco. They were shocked to see the police and Bevco authorities who had arrived to force them out. The family, however, moved to another room that belonged to the same renter.
A large posse of police led by K.P. Thomson, Kaduthuruthy CI, arrested the 30-odd protesters including a class X student agitating against setting up the outlet there. They were let off later.
Even though the excise department has cleared the outlet’s functioning from the place, the grama panchayat is yet to grant permission for the outlet to function from a residential building.
The same outlet was denied permission earlier too by the Kuravilangad grama panchayat when it was shifted a residential building on Pala-Njeezhur Road. Protests and high court intervention had led to its closure for two weeks. The beverage shop had returned to its old place on MC Road again.
This is the second move by the outlet. With the same grama panchayat readying itself to convene a meeting and decide the fate of the outlet and local people continuing their protests it remains to be seen how long will the outlet operate from the same building.
