Kerala State Beverages Corporation outlets pin hopes on Supreme Court

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: With hardly a week left for the March 31 deadline prescribed by the Supreme Court for shifting the liquor outlets from 500 metres on either side  of highways, the fate of about 175 retail outlets of Kerala State Beverages Corporation (KSBC/Bevco) and Kerala State Co-operative Consumer Federation (Consumerfed) is hanging in the balance. Both KSBC and Consumerfed authorities are pinning their hopes on a favourable order  from the Supreme Court on the plea for extending the deadline. In view of the Supreme Court restriction, 180 out of the 270 retail outlets of Bevco  had to be shifted. However, so far only 23 could be relocated. In the case of Consumerfed, 29 of the 39 outlets had to be removed, but only nine could be relocated.

Local protests and the reluctance of local bodies to give  the nod to the shops at new spots are the main hurdles  faced by both the KSBC and Consumerfed. They had approached the court seeking one-year extension of the deadline. Many other states also approached the SC seeking relaxations. The petitions are scheduled to be considered by the court on March 27. The KSBC and Consumerfed suspect that the majority of the agitations  against the shifting of shops to new locations were dubious.  "At many places the protests are being staged by persons and people's representatives from other places," said Consumerfed managing director M. Ramanunny. Meanwhile, source said that in some places like Chandigarh, the local governments had even denotified the highways  to overcome the SC directive.