BevQ app crosses 15 lakh downloads in one day; hitches sorted: App developers

BevQ, an app provided by Kerala State Beverages Corporation, has crossed 15 Lakh downloads, one day after it was released on Google Play Store. Kerala Government came up with this virtual queue system for liquor sales through the state’s outlets to regulate the crowd at the liquor outlets.

Ernakulam: BevQ, the mobile application developed for the Beverages Corporation (BEVCO) Kerala, to facilitate booking for liquor sale, has been downloaded by 15 lakh people as on Thursday late evening. The app, developed by Faircode Technologies, was launched on Google play store on Wednesday night.

The authorities with the Faircode Technologies informed that all the technical hitches have been sorted out.

Going by the numbers, on Wednesday night, from 10 PM to 12 PM, 182000 persons had downloaded the app. From Thursday 2 AM to 6.30 AM, 50000 people have downloaded the app and by 7 PM on Thursday, the total number of persons who had downloaded the app had crossed 15 lakhs.

As many as 216000 persons have been issued with tokens on Thursday so that they could buy liquor on their designated slots from Bevco or other specified outlets.

The booking time to get a token was till 9 in the morning on Thursday. Meanwhile, booking for sale slots on Friday would soon begin said Faricode representatives.

A technical hitch in the booking process was the delay in getting an OTP. This was because there was only one service provider engaged for the process and demand was overwhelming.

It has been sorted out now by looping in three service providers, explained the Faircode authorities. They also ensured that the rush on the app can now be handled smoothly.

The sale of liquor in Kerala resumed after two months on Thursday strictly through the token system in place facilitated through the BevQ app and SMS facilities.

In the wake of COVID-19, Kerala Government came up with this virtual queue system for liquor sales through the state’s outlets to regulate the crowd at the liquor outlets, while ensuring COVID precautions, including social distancing. The situation in other States in India when the liquor sales resumed had proven chaotic.