India

Kerala Excise Minister to Probe Rapid Bar Licence Grants

By PTI

Kerala Excise Minister M Liju said on Monday that an investigation will be launched into whether any bar licences were granted hastily. He noted that the current government does not issue licences without a social impact study, but under rules made by the previous LDF administration licences were being granted within 24 hours, even to bars that had been shut for years. Liju said loopholes created by the earlier government were being used and that the Excise Commissioner was not informed about licence grants. He added that all loopholes would be closed and that the law could be amended if necessary. The minister also mentioned that many bar licence applications are pending and that the Kerala High Court had ruled that a licence cannot be granted to a hotel solely on its star classification; a social impact study is required. The High Court accepted the government’s position and gave it until November 30 to decide on the pending applications. Liju said the recent suspension of three excise officials for granting licences to hotels in Ernakulam and Kottayam districts was a precursor to a broader investigation into possible haste. He said complaints had been received about retired excise officials intervening in licence issuance, and these will also be investigated. "Decisions by this department have a considerable impact on society, and therefore, its actions must be taken carefully," he said. This article was generated from an automated news agency feed without modifications to text.