Kerala tipplers left high and dry

New Delhi: It is no exaggeration that one in every three Malayalis is a devotee of Bacchus, the reigning deity of wine. So it was quite natural for the Left Front government in Kerala to keep the supply chain of liquor intact even as it launched a massive effort to break the coronavirus chain in the state. Thousands queued up in front of liquor vends, a monopoly of the state, even as hundreds of fellow denizens struggled to ward off the deadly virus brought home by fellow Malayalis from far and wide. The state government turned a blind eye to this social un-distancing as liquor is the goose that lays the golden eggs. Going by the latest statistics, the total annual turnover of liquor sales in Kerala during 2018-19 touched an all-time high of Rs 14,508 cr and the revenue of the government from state excise during the period was Rs 2,521 cr. Even after the Prime Minister declared a nationwide lockdown, Kerala kept its liquor shops open; though as a grace of concession to the opposition, which was clamouring for a temporary ban on liquor, it shut down all 598 bars and 357 beer parlours. But with the National Disaster Management Act in place, the state government had no other option but to comply with the Centre’s instructions and close down over 300 retail liquor outlets across the state from 26 March. According to reports, the state police and the excise department too had informed the government that even when people are maintaining a metre’s distance from each other while buying liquor, they still pose a public health risk.