Bars may shut earlier in Kerala; midnight operating hours set for review

Thiruvananthapuram: The Pinarayi Vijayan government’s decision to extend bar operating hours until midnight, taken just before the Assembly elections, is likely to be reconsidered as the state begins discussions on its new liquor policy.

The demand to reduce bar operating hours was first raised by prohibition committee activists, who have urged the government to reconsider the existing timings. Trade unions, including CITU and AITUC, have also demanded that bars be restricted to operating from 10 am to 10 pm.

The UDF, which had criticised the increase in the number of bars while in opposition, is unlikely to encourage applications for new bar licences. As many as 26 five-star hotels have newly applied for bar licences. However, with the new liquor policy yet to be finalised, the Excise Department has not taken a decision on these applications.

As part of the process of formulating the new liquor policy, Excise Minister M. Liju had decided to hold a meeting with former Excise ministers on Monday. However, the meeting did not take place.

M.V. Govindan, T.P. Ramakrishnan and M.B. Rajesh had been invited to the discussions but could not reach the state capital due to party commitments. K. Babu was also unable to attend due to health issues.