Bar timings may be reduced; Pinarayi govt had extended operating hours until midnight

Thiruvananthapuram: The decision of the Pinarayi government to extend bar operating hours until midnight, taken just before the Assembly elections, may be reconsidered. The demand to reduce bar hours was first raised by activists of the Prohibition Council before the government, which has begun discussions on the new liquor policy. Organisations including CITU and AITUC had also demanded that bar hours be limited to 10 a.m. to 10 p.m.

The UDF, which had criticised the increase in the number of bars while in the Opposition, may not be able to encourage new bar licence applications. As many as 26 star hotels have applied for new bar licences. The Excise Department has not taken a decision on the applications as the new liquor policy has not yet been finalised.

As part of the process of framing the liquor policy, Minister M. Liju had decided to meet former Excise ministers on Monday, but the meeting did not take place. Former ministers M.V. Govindan, T.P. Ramakrishnan and M.B. Rajesh had been invited for discussions, but they could not travel to the capital due to party commitments. K. Babu was also unable to attend due to health issues.