Thiruvananthapuram: Ten more liquor shops have been opened in Kerala. The Kerala State Beverages Corporation (BEVCO) and the Consumerfed have opened five shops each in different parts of the state.
More outlets are likely to start functioning soon as the BEVCO has handed over to the government a list including 91 outlets in the urban areas and 84 outlets in the rural areas to be opened.
BEVCO would soon open 10 more on this list.
The government had earlier granted permission, in May 2022, to open 175 new shops recommended by the BEVCO as and when required and also to reopen the liquor sales outlets closed down as part of the Oommen Chandy government’s prohibition policy. The present move of opening 10 shops together is part of this government decision.
This is after a long time, so many liquor shops have been opened together in the state in a year. Licences have been issued to more than 40 bars too this year.
BEVCO has reopened the closed-down outlets in Vattappara in Thiruvananthapuram, Chathannur in Kollam, Bharanikkavu in Alappuzha, Kallai in Kozhikode and Parappanangadi in Malappuram. The consumerfed has reopened outlets at Kapplippara in Palakkad, Meppadi in Wayanad, Amburi in Thiruvananthapuram and Balusseri in Kozhikode.
When the first Pinarayi Vijayan government assumed office in 2016, there were 29 bars and 306 BEVCO outlets in the state. The government had renewed bar licences for 440 bars. Besides, the government has issued more than 250 fresh licences in the last six-and-a-half years.
The Kerala State Co-operative Consumers Federation is known as the Consumerfed.
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