Excise minister M Liju
The minister told reporters in Kayamkulam on Saturday that the power was given to deputy commissioners by the previous LDF govt, and on that basis licences had been issued to more than 500 bars during its tenure. Applications for bars had been received during the present UDF govt’s tenure too, but govt’s decision was that no licence should be granted until the new liquor policy is announced, he said.
Kayamkulam : Excise minister M Liju said govt will withdraw the power of excise deputy commissioners to grant bar licences in the state, and that no licences will be issued until UDF govt announces its liquor policy. He said the officials concerned had violated the directive that govt must be informed when decisions are taken on matters related to govt’s policy. He said it would be examined whether there were other interests behind granting of the licences, and that any lingering influence of the previous govt’s period among officials would be rooted out. Liju said the suspension of the officials was not a punitive action but part of a detailed investigation to establish whether their action was innocent or planned. The inquiry will examine whether the officials acted on a misunderstanding of the existing laws and rules, or whether there were deliberate interventions, he said.