Kozhikode: The government’s attempts to bring down liquor availability by bringing down the number of outlets run by the Kerala State Beverages Corporation (Bevco) from seven to four in the city seems to have little impact on the demand given the increasing length of the queues in front of the remaining ones.
With only one bar hotel (Taj Gateway) left, the Bevco outlets are the sole refuge for the lower class and upper middle class crowd. Located in filthy environs, these outlets were already struggling with few facilities.
The tipplers’ poor plight spending hours in front of the outlets recently made excise minister TP Ramakrishnan call for better facilities.
Akhil Naraynan, a city dweller, told DC that there are not many Bevco outlets even outside the city. “Outlets at Vaikkom Muhammed Basher Road, Eranjippalam, Koya Road and Vattampoyil were closed down due to protests from the public,” he said.
“The outlets at Thamarasssery and Mukkam were closed down earlier.”
The outlet at YMCA Road was a comfortable spot for tipplers as the vehicular traffic was slightly less. But the outlet was shifted to Pavamani Road as the owner refused to renew the rental agreement.
“A public toilet has better facilities than the Bevco outlet,” says Vinod Vasudevan.
“It is very tough to get a bottle of liquor in the city and so we now depend on the regular ‘queue men’ who stand in the queue for us and supply the stuff at a higher price,” he said.
“We purchase the stuff paying a heavy price that includes hefty taxes but we are treated like antisocial elements.”
However, Bevco officials said that the corporation was trying its best to provide better facilities but various factors including communal sentiments created hurdles in its way.
