Pinarayi Vijayan urged not to sanction liquor license to Civil Officers club

Thiruvananthapuram: Veteran anti-liquor campaigner and senior Congress leader V.M.Sudheeran on Friday wrote to Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan that under no circumstances should he give sanction to serve liquor in the Civil Services Officers Institute in the state capital.

"It's with absolute surprise that such a request has come from a responsible group, which is headed by the Chief Secretary of the state, who have to implement steps against the menace of liquor and drug abuse.

"If such a sanction is given, then one can expect numerous requests from various quarters stating that they also be allowed to relax. Who knows, the next demand would be they be given liquor like what's given in the military. Under no circumstances should sanction be given," said Sudheeran, a former State Minister, Speaker and Lok Sabha member and one-time State Congress president also.

The Institute was set up a few years back in the heart of the city and the recently retired Chief Secretary Vishwas Mehta and present Chief Information Commissioner, while in office put in a request that the Institute where IAS, IPS and IFS officials frequent be allowed to serve liquor.

The request was agreed by the Excise officials and they send the file to Vijayan, who is yet to take action on it.

In their request they have said that it would be in the best interest that such a facility is given the nod as it would be a place for them to relax and the officers would not have to go to other places where liquor can be consumed.

Incidentally the annual license fee of clubs where liquor can be served is Rs 20 lakh and the Institute pointed out that they be given the facility, similar to a facility that has been given to a Navy Club in the state where they pay an annual license of Rs 50,000.