Kerala bars must verify identity documents when customers appear to be below the legal drinking age of 23, Excise Minister M Liju said in Thrissur on Friday, warning that establishments serving underage customers could face stringent action, including licence cancellation or suspension.
Liju said the responsibility for ensuring that liquor was not served to underage customers rested with bars. If a customer appeared to be below 23, establishments should check an Aadhaar card or another relevant identity document before serving liquor, he said while speaking to reporters.
The minister’s warning follows a recent accident at Nedumbassery in which a 19-year-old who had allegedly consumed liquor from four bars was involved in a car crash that killed three youngsters. Liju said the Excise Department had already acted against bars found serving liquor to underage customers, including by cancelling or suspending licences.
He said establishments would face stringent action if minors were served liquor and subsequently caused accidents that left families devastated. The Excise Department was continuing inspections, while the government would support officials taking action against violations, he added.
The minister also said Kerala’s United Democratic Front government was preparing a new liquor policy that would focus on responsible drinking while attempting to protect the tourism sector, which provides employment and livelihoods. He said the policy would differ from the liquor policy introduced by the previous Left Democratic Front government and would not simply continue its approach.
According to Liju, the government wants to reduce alcohol consumption without weakening tourism. The first round of discussions on the new liquor policy was completed in October, and the government intends to announce it in November, as it had informed the Kerala High Court.
Liju also referred to the previous government’s Horti Wines policy, under which the sale of products containing alcohol was permitted through bakeries after changes to the relevant rules. He said the present government had cancelled a licence for selling Horti Wines through a bakery because it did not consider it appropriate for beverages containing 15 per cent alcohol to be sold through such outlets.
The minister said the concept could benefit farmers, but distribution had to be handled with social responsibility. The Excise Department was also examining whether officials, including deputy excise commissioners, had issued licences by using provisions amended during the previous LDF government’s tenure in ways that conflicted with the current government’s policy approach.
He said strong action would follow if the examination found that licences had been granted under existing rules in circumstances contrary to the government’s position. The department’s inspections and the proposed liquor policy announcement are the next stated steps.
