Faced with bribery charges, economic and legal setbacks, Congress government in Kerala on Thursday partially rolled back its new liquor policy borne out of battle between Chief Minister Oommen Chandy and Congress state chief V M Sudheeran. The government withdrew dry day norm on Sundays and decided to sanction beer and wine parlours for 418 bars closed since April this year.

Chandy said that Sunday-dry-day was withdrawn in view of 60 per cent increase in the retail sale of liquor on Saturdays. Besides, it had impacted the tourism industry as several weekend conferences have been shifted out of Kerala. “The change in the liquor policy was also against the backdrop of the suicide of 10 bar hotel workers since August,” said Chandy.

The state government had suffered setbacks in the high court, which questioned the logic of allowing only five-star bars. The court exempted the four and heritage category hotels from the purview of closure. In another order, the court asked the government to grant licence to 20-odd fresh applications in four-star grade.

In the meantime, the tourism and labour departments reported to the government that the new liquor policy had led to loss in tourism sector and put at stake job of hundreds of hotel employees. The houseboat industry also had urged the government to change the liquor policy claiming that the news about prohibition had reduced the flow of tourists to Kerala.

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