Kick@a click?

TNIE speaks to people from different walks of life to gauge the public sentiment on Bevco's proposal to sell liquor online

- KRISHNA PS

ERE we go again! Stirring up a heady debate on liquor policy, the Kerala Beverages Corporation (Bevco) has yet again put forward a proposal to launch online liquor sales in the state.

According to the proposal, the aim is to increase sales and, in turn, revenue. The launch, it notes, will also help considerably reduce the serpentine queues in front of current outlets.

There, of course, will be restrictions. Only those above the age of 23 can avail themselves of the service, and proof of age must be provided ahead of delivery. Purchase volumes too will have limits as in the case of physical outlets.

According to Bevco CMD Harshita Attaluri IPS, several online delivery platforms, including Swiggy, have expressed interest in tying up with the corporation. But the Kerala government clearly does not share the enthusiasm.

A senior Bevco official says this is not the first time such a proposal has been put forth. During the pandemic, the state government also rejected a similar bid. "That's when we launched a system where you book online and collect the liquor from stores without standing in line. That site is still active," he adds.

Notably, Bevco has proposed launching an app to make pre-booking more seamless. The idea of online sales, the official says, arose primarily because Bevco currently does not have enough stores in the state to meet demand.

There are only 282 Bevco outlets in Kerala, along with 30 Consumerfed stores. Compared with the 4,000 outlets run by the Tamil Nadu State Marketing Corporation, this figure appears staggeringly low.

"Online delivery of alcohol is already available in cities such as Bengaluru and Mumbai. It is also available in states like West Bengal and Odisha," the official says.