Liquor worth Rs 150.38 crore was sold during the Christmas weekend (December 24 and 25) in Kerala, according to figures issued by the Kerala State Beverages Corporation (BevCo). BevCo controls the retail sales of Indian Made Foreign Liquor (IMFL) and beer in the state.

According to the Corporation, on Christmas Eve (December 24) BevCo outlets accounted for the sale of liquor and beer worth Rs 65.88, while Kerala State Cooperatives Consumers' Federation (Consumerfed) outlets sold Rs 11.5 crore. Likewise, on Christmas day, while BevCo recorded sales of Rs 65 crore, Consumerfed accounted for sales worth Rs 8 crore. Incidentally, the BevCo outlet at the heart of the state capital city Thiruvananthapuram, located on Power House Road, on December 24 sold a record Rs 73 lakh worth of liquor.

In August this year, during the Onam festival, a record-breaking Rs 750 crore worth of liquor was sold by BevCo. In three outlets of BevCo, one each in Kozhikode, Kochi and Thiruvananthapuram, online shopping was arranged ahead of the Onam festival.

Earlier in October, the Kerala High Court had asked BevCo to provide walk-in facilities at liquor outlets, instead of letting people line up in the streets. Considering a contempt of court petition, Justice Devan Ramachandran orally said, "Nobody wants a liquor store next to their residence. This is a fact. There is no point in lying about it. But if liquor stores were like all the other stores with a walk-in facility, it would solve half the problem. The issue is that since these outlets are small and dingy, people line up on the streets, making it impossible for women and children to safely walk through these areas. I don't see why we are burying our heads in the sand. This is happening and we all know it."