Bevco's move to shift liquor vends hits a wall

The Kerala State Beverages Corporation’s (Bevco) move to relocate its liquor outlets from highways as per the Supreme Court directive has met with stiff resistance from the public across the state. At Nanthancode in Thiruvananthapuram, girl students and teachers of Holy Angels ISC School joined an action council to protest against the opening of a Bevco outlet in the neighbourhood.

The protest that gained momentum on Thursday and led to the outlet’s closure, followed by a late-night attempt by Bevco staff to reopen it, hit a high note on Friday with the excise department’s assurance that the outlet would remain closed. The mood at the protest venue was jubilant with students cheering and others excitedly sharing news about the agitation spreading to other parts of the state.

“A liquor outlet in a residential locality, which has a girls school would have been disastrous. It’s good to see the students coming out and making sure that it remains shut,” Rajasekharan, a resident of the locality, told DH. As Bevco officials maintain that distance-based stipulations prescribed under the law are being followed, protesters have come together and ensured the closure of another outlet in Kazhakkuttom in Thiruvananthapuram.