Thiruvananthapuram, Keralam Excise Minister M Liju on Monday said bar licences would not be renewed for hotels whose applications for star classification had been rejected by the Union Tourism Ministry.
“Delay in processing an application cannot be attributed to the applicant. However, since the Covid-19 pandemic, there had been delays in processing applications for star classification, forcing the state government to renew bar licences with the approval of the state Tourism Department, he said. Because the Union Tourism Ministry was unable to process their applications within a stipulated time due to its workload, the minister said the previous government had taken the position that establishments should not be forced to shut down merely.
The state government would also take the same stand before the Kerala High Court in cases pending before it, he said. Explaining the issue, Liju said a star classification was mandatory for renewing bar licences and the classification was granted by the Union Tourism Ministry. The minister said he had directed officials to obtain a list of hotels whose applications for renewal of star classification had been rejected by the Union Tourism Ministry. However, if the Union Tourism Ministry has rejected an application, it has to be viewed seriously,” he said. Liju said the government had not yet received complete details of the hotels whose applications were rejected.
