Palakkad: The controversy surrounding the Kerala Government's decision to permit a distillery unit in Elappully, Palakkad, has taken a new turn with revelations about the liquor company's application to the Kerala Water Authority (KWA).

In 2023, the company approached the KWA under the guise of seeking water for establishing an ethanol production unit for public sector oil companies.

The application submitted to the KWA mentioned only the ethanol unit proposal. However, the government order granting permission to the company outlines a broader plan, including the establishment of a bottling unit for Indian Manufactured Foreign Liquor (IMFL) in the first phase, followed by ethanol production, malt spirit - brandy - winery plants, and a brewery in subsequent phases.

This omission of key details in the application to the KWA is suspected to have been a deliberate move to avoid public scrutiny and ensure an uninterrupted water supply.

The KWA has maintained that water distribution to the liquor company can only be facilitated through a potable water plant to be set up at the KINFRA Park in Kanjikode. However, the completion of the pipeline to the 12.5 million litre plant from the Malampuzha Dam is facing a delay, primarily due to challenges in laying the pipeline beneath the railway track at Kanjikode.

The state government has approved the Rs 600 crore project by the liquor manufacturing company to establish a grain-based distillery and brewery unit at Kanjikode. While the government defends the move as aligned with the state's liquor policy and claims it will boost the agricultural sector, the opposition has raised allegations of irregularities. They have also pointed to the firm's alleged involvement in the Delhi Excise case.