Kerala Won’t Renew Bar Licences of Hotels Denied Star Classification, Says Excise Minister

The Kerala government has made it clear that hotels whose applications for star classification have been rejected by the Union Tourism Ministry will not get their bar licences renewed. A valid star classification certificate from the ministry is required to renew a hotel's bar licence. However, since the Covid-19 pandemic, delays in the approval process have affected several hotels. Because of these delays, the previous state government had allowed some hotels to renew their bar licences with approval from the state Tourism Department. Kerala Excise Minister M Liju reportedly said the government would maintain the same position before the Kerala High Court in cases related to the issue.

Government to Check Rejected Applications

The minister reportedly said he had directed officials to prepare a list of hotels whose applications for star classification renewal had been rejected by the Union Tourism Ministry. He added that the state government had not yet received complete details of these hotels. The Tax Secretary had informed him that the required information was still awaited from the central ministry.

Liju said delays in processing applications should not be blamed on hotel owners as per reports. However, he made it clear that applications officially rejected by the Union Tourism Ministry would be treated seriously. He said the government would examine the details after receiving the complete list and then take a decision on the renewal of their bar licences.

Government to Present Its Stand Before High Court

The minister also said the state government would present the same position before the Kerala High Court in cases related to bar licence renewals. He reportedly said he had examined the affidavit already filed by the government and understood that the state would maintain its position that hotels denied star classification should not receive renewed bar licences.

Liju explained that the previous government had allowed hotels to continue their bar operations because the Union Tourism Ministry was taking time to complete the classification process. The central ministry had informed the state that it was facing difficulties in completing the process on time due to its workload. The previous government had taken the view that hotels should not be forced to shut down because of delays by the central ministry.

The decision is expected to affect hotels whose applications for star classification have been rejected. However, the minister made a distinction between applications that are rejected and those that are still waiting for approval. According to him, hotels should not be held responsible for delays in the application process, but rejected applications must be taken seriously. The state government will take further steps after receiving the complete details from the Union Tourism Ministry.