The Kerala high court’s observation on the day time ban on liquor sale in bars has left bar owners worried.
Already hit by the motor vehicle department’s (MVD) decision to suspend the licences of drunken drivers, bar owners believe that any move to ban bars from opening during the day would come as a detrimental move.
Bar owners are also upset that the HC observation only targets bars in hotels, while it refuses to mention beverage outlets.
“The lion’s share of the alcohol trade happens through the outlets of the Kerala State Beverages Corporation.
While Bevcos sell 80 per cent of alcohol, bars in hotels account for only 20 per cent of the sales.
Then why they target only bars in hotels?” asks K. Mohan, the Ernakulam district president of the Kerala Bar Hotel Owners Association.
He also added that any such directive would encourage public drinking and black market liquor trade.
“If bars in hotels are closed people would find an alternative and start drinking alcohol inside auto rickshaws or cars after buying liquor from Bevcos,” he said.
The sales in hotel bars have already dipped sharply reveal the financial records of hotel bars in the state.
“Ever since the MVD directive came out, cops stand near hotel bars to catch drunken drivers. It has become a loophole for the police to take bribes.
Hotel bars have witnessed a decrease to the tune of 20 per cent in sales over the last eight months, which shows the MVD’s decision has already affected bars,” Mohan added.
Hotel bar owners argue that the maximum sales in an average bar is `25,000, while any beverages outlet sells alcohol worth a minimum of `3 lakh. The sales at beverage outlets are also increasing every day.