File photo: Union Health Minister Harsh Vardhan
Union Health Minister Harsh Vardhan today lauded Kerala Chief Minister Oommen Chandy's "radical decision meant to control the intake of alcohol in the state."
"I am impressed with the Chief Minister's stand on a contentious issue like this... The step taken by the chief minister - despite the criticism by vested interests and lobbies - I would like to place on record my appreciation for the chief minister," Mr Vardhan said.
Announcing a 10-year plan that would bring prohibition to Kerala, Mr Chandy said last month that over 700 bars across the state will have to shut down, adding that only five-star hotels would be allowed to keep serving booze and even they will have go dry on Sundays.
The Supreme Court has stayed that decision till September 30 after bar owners took the government to court. The top court also said that the exemption to five-stars appears illogical.
According to the government's plans, state-run liquor stores, where men queue up for their daily fix, will be phased out at a rate of ten percent a year for the next decade, leaving a big hole in the state coffers after alcohol taxes and fees generated more than $1 billion or Rs 6,000 crore in the 2012-13 financial year.
Bar owners who have taken the government to court say if there is an alcohol ban, tourists will start opting for other regional destinations - perhaps the beaches of nearby Goa or Sri Lanka. A recent survey from travel portal Holiday IQ.com, which polled 5,000 Indians, showed 58 percent of the respondents will change their travel plans because of the new no-boozing policy.
But there is little denial of an alcohol problem in Kerala, which has the highest consumption levels in India.