Hundreds of people from Coimbatore district are depending on Palakkad district as liquor outlets in Tamil Nadu are lying closed.
The liquor outlets in Palakkad’s border panchayats such as Puthusseri and Vadakarappathi have witnessed huge crowding and endless queues in the last few days.
With those local bodies directing the closure of Bevco outlets at Menonpara and Kanjikode, people from across the border began to spread out to various places in Palakkad.
No choice
The outlets in Palakkad town witnessed heavy rush on Friday. “We have no choice but to come here for liquor. None is causing any issue,” said Murugan, who refused to reveal his full identity.
Hundreds of bikes with Tamil Nadu registration were seen parked by the roadside as the people stood in queue. Although the price of the liquor was higher in Kerala than in Tamil Nadu, it did not deter the buyers.
Pandemic concerns
Many of them, however, did not wear a mask and no physical distancing was maintained in queues. The pouring in of people from across the border has raised fears among the local people in Palakkad, especially as Coimbatore had a high COVID-19 infection rate.
