People in Kerala appear to consume a fair amount of alcohol, with the state earning a large chunk of its revenue from liquor sales. In 2018-19 for example, the state earned a record Rs. 14,508 crore from liquor sales. And with there being a sudden void when it comes to the availability of liquor, the state has a new fear -- people suffering from withdrawal symptoms.
India on Wednesday went into a lockdown that is slated to last 21 days and will see only essential items being sold, even as people are discouraged fro stepping out of their houses. And while some would argue that items such as cigarettes and alcohol do not count as being 'essential', the topic is debatable. In Kerala recently, one man committed suicide, allegedly after being unable to get his hands on alcohol.
According to a report by The New Indian Express, 38-year-old K Sanoj had turned violent on Thursday night after being unable to get alcohol. He was found hanging in his room at his residence in Thavanur in Thrissur. The police said that a post-mortem would be conducted.
Kerala, since the revocation of a partial prohibition in 2017, has gradually relaxed many of the earlier restrictions, while at the same time attempting to regulate alcohol consumption. Since then, there has been no lengthy halt in the sale of liquor, until now.
While the Kerala government had kept liquor shops open even as the number of people testing positive for the novel coronavirus rose, even within the state, they were closed recently -- on the 25th of March to be precise.
Thus as the pan-India lockdown came into effect, liquor stores in the state closed their doors, and Kerala began looking into de-addiction centres.
According to a Hindustan Times report that quoted the State's excise Minister, TP Ramakrishnan, the government plans to provide free treatment at these centres. Ramakrishnan said that while they were aware of the problem, there was not much of an alternative.
"Our hands are tied now. We can only open more de-addiction wards in the hospitals at this juncture,” he was quoted as saying by the publication.
With the state having a large number of tipplers, security has also been increased in the vicinity of liquor shops to prevent people from frequenting the areas.
