Close liquor outlets on main roads say Kerala Bishops

(Sept.08, 2009): Increasing road accidents in southern India’ s Kerala State, have forced Catholic bishops to ask the state government to implement a central directive that prohibits liquor outlets on highways and busy roads. The Kerala Catholic Bishop Council (KCBC) in a recent statement said the state government should implement the directive of the central government and not give license for liquor outlets on busy roads. The statement said studies conducted by the government agencies have found that drunken driving is the main reason for the increased rate of accidents in the state. A welfare government has a responsibility to create awareness among the people on the ills of alcohol, instead the government promotes liquor sales eying only the tax revenue. “It is a terrible social injustice,” said the bishops’ statement. Both road accidents and liquor sales are increasing in the state.
According to the figures provided by the Kerala State planning board, there were over 27,000 accidents in 2008, in which some 32,934 people got injured and 2,868 people lost their lives.