Thiruvananthapuram: The government has made amendments to foreign liquor rules to grant bar licence to a cruise vessel for the first time in the state. Nefertiti, the luxury cruise vessel owned by the state-owned Kerala Shipping Inland Navigation Corporation (KSINC) can now serve drinks onboard.The licence (FL-13b) has been issued after amending the rules and inserting a new rule—13 (13b) for possessing, transporting and serving foreign liquor to the passengers of Nefertiti, as it sails through the territorial waters of the state. The rules had to be amended as there were no such provisions in the rules to grant bar licence to a ship or a similar entity.Though the ship was launched as early as in October, it was anchored for a few months as there was no permission for serving liquor to its passengers. The licence that has been issued at an annual fee of Rs 50,000, has been granted with some conditions. For instance, the ship should procure its supply of liquor only from the wholesale liquor supply units of the Kerala State Beverages Corporation in the state, where it is being anchored.Furthermore, the liquor should be served and consumed only at the restaurant on board while cruising and the serving of liquor to anyone other than the passenger of the ship is prohibited under the licence. It has also been specified that by giving a 15-day notice, the excise commissioner can revoke the licence in case of any violation of rules. An excise officer not below the rank of an excise inspector will have the powers to inspect the vessel any time.Earlier, the only other instance when the government had made a similar amendment was to grant bar licence to Indian Railways Catering and Tourism Corporation (IRCTC) for its luxury train Maharaja Express, while it enters the limits of the state. The government had then amended the foreign liquor rules to insert 13 (13a), to grant licence to the train at an annual fee of Rs 50,000, though it was not used since the train had not passed through the state after the licence was issued.The state has various licences for various types of liquor serving entities. They include: FL-1 (Bevco outlets), FL-3 (bar hotel), FL-4 (Naval officer’s club), FL-4A (clubs), FL-6 (one-day permit), FL-7 (airport lounge), FL-8 (military canteen), FL-8A (paramilitary forces BSF and CRPF canteen), FL-9 (wholesale of liquor), FL-11 (beer and wine), FL-12 (Consumerfed beer only outlet) and FL-13 (pub beer). It is in addition to these that two new types of licences have been issued as FL-13a and FL-13b. Barring FL-13 licence, all other licences are currently issued in the state. Though one FL-13 licence was issued earlier to the KTDC, the pub-beer outlet launched by the agency in Kochi stopped its operations.

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