THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Revenue from liquor sales, which dropped in April following the closure of many liquor outlets in view of the ban on liquor outlets within 500 metres of highways, has regained the upward trend by June. With the opening of nearly 100 more bars from July, the figure is registering further escalating trends, bringing cheers to the state exchequer. According to Kerala State Beverages Corporation (KSBC), though there was a fall in revenue in April, by June the revenues could be brought back to the previous trend.
The marginal price hike was one reason for reversing the drop in revenue. However, the quantity of liquor sale did not witness a hike till June. The total sale of Rs. 1,078 crores in April 2016 came down to Rs. 983 crore in April 2017 - a dip of Rs. 95 crore. However the dip came down to Rs. 3 crore in June. The total sale in June 2016 was Rs. 902 crore and in June 2017 it was Rs. 899 crore. With nearly 100 bars getting the nod to function from this month in accordance with the new liquor policy, liquor sale went up by about six percent. On July 2, there was an increase of 6.62 percent in total sales compared to that during the corresponding day of the previous year. In the next two days it was 3.7 percent and 6.12 percent respectively, said sources.
