Kerala: Hygiene was overlooked in liquor licence permits

Thiruvananthapuram: Causing embarrassment to the previous UDF government, the Comptroller and Auditor General of India pointed out a series of lapses on the part of the excise department right from delay in granting licences to ensuring the hygiene of beer and wine parlours. The CAG report finance minister Thomas Isaac tabled in the assembly on Monday says many got licences without properly checking hygienic standards. It criticises the government for granting permits to liquor vendors along national highways flouting centre's directives. It said the government gave beer and wine parlour licences in 2014 to hotels that were earlier having a bar licence on the condition of meeting hygiene standards as per a prescribed format.

The audit team reviewed 74 files and did not find details of checks carried out in the prescribed form. "It cannot be ruled out that hygiene was certified by the deputy excise commissioners without completing the detailed checks prescribed by the government," said the report. It criticises granting of licence to liquor shops along national highways despite the centre's order against it to prevent drunken driving and reduce accidents. As on March 31, 2016, there were four bar hotels and 182 beer/wine parlours along the NHs. Audit noticed that during 2013-14 to 2015-16, ten fresh bar and beer/wine parlour licences were issued to the hotels on the highway.

The state government had not followed the centre's instructions not to issue fresh licences to liquor vendors, said the report. The CAG also detected a delay in granting permits by excise department. As per Right to Services Act, bar and beer/wine parlour licence has to be issued in 90 days. But the audit found that 60 percent of the permits were issued after 90 days. While licensing is mandatory for spirituous preparations for medical or other purposes, it was found that out of 6,965 persons in the wholesale and retail business of allopathy and homoeopathy medicines in selected districts, only 49 had taken the licence. The audit also detected various other lapses including non-realisation of differential excise duty on the production of IMFL with higher strength and non-levy of differential excise duty from the brewery.