Thiruvananthapuram, Nov 4 Keralam Chief Minister V D Satheesan on Wednesday made it clear that no bar licences will be issued in the state without the government’s knowledge.
Satheesan, responding to queries from reporters regarding bar licences issued by the Excise Commissioner and some Deputy Excise Commissioners, said that under the previous Left government there was a system in place for granting such licences without informing the concerned minister.
“That is the existing system, and it will be changed. No one will be given such licences without the government’s knowledge. It should not be done. We need control over it.”
“Our liquor policy will come soon. Once it does, the licences will be granted according to it,” he said at a press conference here.
Recently, state Excise Minister M Liju said that after the UDF government came to power, bar licences were issued by some Deputy Excise Commissioners and even Excise Commissioner Seeram Sambasiva Rao without informing him.
Liju had said that this was done under a system created by the previous LDF government.
He said that the UDF government was not in favour of simply granting bar licences without first carrying out a social impact study in connection with it.
He had also expressed dissatisfaction with the previous LDF government and then Excise Minister M B Rajesh for allowing a large number of bars to operate in Keralam without taking into account the social realities of the state.
Satheesan, during the press conference, also said that he had made a statement that the government cannot withdraw from the MoU regarding the implementation of the Pradhan Mantri Schools for Rising India (PM SHRI) scheme.
“Under the MoU, the state government cannot withdraw from it. There is a provision in it that the state government cannot; only the Centre can take a decision to withdraw from it. That is still existing,” he said.
The CM said that the modalities of implementing the scheme were being examined by a sub-committee.
The panel was constituted to examine the scheme and inform the Centre that it will be implemented in schools that the Keralam government selects and that the curriculum will also be decided by the state.
In response to queries regarding the Kerala High Court decision to set aside a single judge order permitting 16 suspended students of Sree Sankaracharya University of Sanskrit at Kalady to write their semester exams, Satheesan said that he was not against them writing the exams.
“It is an issue before the court, and therefore, we should not comment about it. I am personally of the view that students should write their exams. For holding protests, some punishment can be given.”
“The current action against them is not for holding the fake funeral of the vice chancellor. It has been taken for attacking the Syndicate meeting of the university. Unfortunately, we do not have visuals of the same. They attacked the Syndicate,” he said.
At the press conference, reporters also asked the CM about an alleged ruckus by Youth Congress activists at Adoor police station in July this year, to which he replied that the police were dealing with the matter very seriously.
“I have spoken with the state Home Minister. Strict action will be taken in the matter. Such acts will not be permitted in police stations,” he asserted.
A Youth Congress leader was arrested on Tuesday in connection with the alleged assault on YouTuber Rajan Joseph inside Adoor police station.
Joseph was arrested in July following a complaint by Congress district panchayat member Sreena Devi Kunjamma, alleging that he had posted defamatory content about her on social media.
When he was brought to the station, Youth Congress activists had allegedly assaulted him.
(PTI News)
