Bars to be open till midnight in Kerala: Govt cites complaints over restrictions despite heavy licensing fee

Kerala levies Rs 35 lakh from such establishments as annual licence fees — the highest in South India. The relaxations have been given, taking the tourism perspective into consideration, the minister said. He pointed out that bar timings in Karnataka are from 9 am to midnight, and that in Andhra Pradesh, it is from 10 am to 11 pm.

Opposition Leader V D Satheesan of the Congress slammed the decision and questioned its timing, coming ahead of the Assembly elections this year. “The LDF partners were in the dark about the decision, and the issue was not debated in the Cabinet. There is something fishy in this sudden decision when the Assembly elections are set to begin,” he alleged.

BJP state president Rajeev Chandrasekhar alleged that corruption was the reason behind the government’s decision.

Johnson Edayaranmula, executive director of the National Resource Centre for Non-communicable Diseases, criticised the decision as a dangerous public policy failure that would fuel increased alcohol consumption and have devastating consequences. “This decision will place an unbearable burden on Kerala’s healthcare system, law enforcement agencies, and already strained families,” he said.

The Syro-Malabar Catholic Church, which had been at the forefront of the temperance movement in Kerala, reacted through a statement on its Facebook page, saying, “The policy, which will spoil society, should be corrected.”