Thiruvananthapuram: It seems issues with the BevQ app intended to manage queues at liquor shops after their reopening on Thursday - are never-ending.
First, there was a big delay in getting the app approved by Google for it to be listed on Play Store. Then, when it was listed, users found it difficult to find the app on the Play Store, giving many fake apps a free run. And when the bookings were allowed, the app could not generate OTPs properly.
The latest problem is the mystery over how the app selects an outlet for a customer making a virtual queue booking. Many have complained that they were made to go to bars or outlets that were quite far away from their chosen place.
The technical proposal issued by the start-up mission had stated that the app should give the user the option to select the outlet. The app, however, does not offer that choice.
In fact, the platform itself selects the outlet for the customer, leaving many users peeved. It is not clear how the app generates a token for a particular bar or an outlet.
There is a growing demand for making public the algorithm that makes the selection.
Liquor sales in Kerala - that were stopped in view of the COVID-19 lockdown that began on March 24 - resumed on Thursday at over 300 outlets run by the state and at over 575 bar-cum-restaurants.
What the startup mission wanted
The start-up mission had, in its technical proposal prepared on May 7, demanded that the following features be provided in the app:
1.The facility to opt for the nearest outlet by either specifying the pin code or the district.
2.Slot-wise search: The software should be able to itself select the earliest time-slot available at the nearest outlet for a customer
3.Shop-wise search: It should be able to select the nearest outlet for a customer and offer the option to select from the many available time slots.
Selection is random based on data: Faircode
According to the app-maker Faircode, it generates a token by randomly selecting an outlet based on GPS location, the distance to the various outlets in a customer’s area, and the given pincodes.
15 lakh register through BevQ
About 15 lakh people registered for a place in the virtual queue at liquor outlets using BevQ on the first day of its launch, despite the frustrating technical glitches in the app.
The app had 9 lakh downloads from the Google Play Store till about 6 pm on Thursday. It, in fact, topped the downloads chart in the food and drinks section of the Play Store, toppling other popular apps such as those of Zomato, Domino’s and KFC.
While bookings can be made through the app or through an SMS everyday between 6 am and 10 pm, they had to be stopped around 1pm on day one due to heavy rush.
Beginning Friday, bookings can be made all through the day during the specified hours, company officials said.
No consumption of alcohol near outlets: Excise Dept
The excise department has banned the consumption of alcohol near bars or the outlets of Beverages Corporation (BEVCO). The department has put in place inspection teams to ensure that people don’t linger around after buying liquor from beer parlours or bar-cum-restaurants.
The excise department said that the BEVCO should keep an account of the stocks at various outlets before and after the sales every day. It should also ensure that only liquor is being sold by the outlets, the department said.
The excise commissioner has directed the assistant commissioners and CIs to ensure there are no irregularities in the stocks, brands and bills maintained and reported by the outlets.
Outlets where the stocks were not ascertained during the lockdown period will be allowed to make sales only after verification. This follows complaints that in some places liquor were sold illegally during the lockdown period and that the stock registers were tampered with.
The excise department will disinfect liquor outlets and bars before and after sales daily, it said.
