Kumily: The new beverage outlet in Kumily has remained shut for 10 days in a row. The outlet which was shut down as per the instruction of the corporation officials, is said to have incurred a loss of over Rs 50 lakhs so far. Meanwhile, liquor is widely being sold in black market in the region, ever since the incident.

Problems had begun on October 14, when the beverage outlet was shifted from a building in Attappallam to a new space in Chelimada. Incidentally, the building in Attappallam belonged to a CPM leader. Just an hour after the new outlet had begun its operations, CPM workers arrived in Chelimada and forced the employees to shut down the outlet. The CPM leader who owned the building in Attappallam claimed that the corporation violated the two-year long contract, which was signed while renting the space for setting up the earlier outlet. Interestingly, sales of over Rs 1.15 lakhs were registered in the newly opened outlet in Chelimada within the very first hour of business.

In case the Chelimada outlet had remained open during the Puja holidays, daily sales ranging between Rs 5 lakhs- Rs 9 lakhs would have been registered. Another advantage of the new outlet is that it will be accessible for tourists as well. While the corporation is trying to solve the issue amicably, the beverage outlet in Attappallam continues to remain closed due to the infights in the Kumily CPM party. The issue has been taken up by the court and a verdict is awaited.