On May 12, Tamil Nadu Chief Minister C. Joseph Vijay ordered closure of around 717 liquor shops located near schools and places of worship across the State. Within a month, these shops have disappeared from Tamil Nadu’s streets. But, in the towns and villages across the State, customers have merely migrated to the next nearest Tasmac outlet. Residents meanwhile complain that they have not yet seen an end to drunken nuisance at public spaces.
This is not the first time Tamil Nadu has acted to cut down on the number of Tasmac outlets. In 2016, Chief Minister Jayalalithaa promised prohibition in phases and closed around 500 shops. The following year, her successor Edappadi K. Palaniswami announced the closure of another 500 shops.
Long-running effort
In 2023, Minister for Electricity, Prohibition and Excise V. Senthil Balaji informed the Assembly that 500 more Tasmac retail outlets would be closed. The latest closure of 717 shops is thererefore the latest chapter in a long-running effort to balance public sentiment with the State’s dependence on revenue from liquor sales.
“From past experience, every time a new party comes to power in Tamil Nadu, closing liquor shops becomes one of its standard promises. But shops are eventually opened in other locations. Moreover, shutting down outlets does not necessarily result in a loss of business, as tipplers simply migrate to nearby shops. What the Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) government has done too is merely a cosmetic fix to a much deeper problem,” says a source tracking the liquor industry.
In the days following the closure order, The Hindu visited several Tasmac outlets across Tamil Nadu to examine whether the shutters had truly come down and whether the decision had made any tangible difference on the ground. They had, in many areas. However, during this visit, members of the public have said there are more such shops which the government has to close.
For instance, at Velachery in Chennai, residents of Balakrishna Nagar have been demanding the removal of Tasmac Shop No. 928 for several years. They are aggrieved by the presence of the outlet on Station Service Road, which serves as the gateway to residential neighbourhoods such as Annai Indira Nagar, VGP Avenue, and Balakrishna Nagar. Residents point out that Station Service Road also connects Velachery to the Mass Rapid Transit System (MRTS) station at Taramani. They argue that the presence of the liquor shop here increases the risk of accidents on the busy arterial road.
Social activist S. Kumararaja said that while the Greater Chennai Traffic Police regularly advise motorists not to drink and drive and conduct awareness campaigns, many customers visiting Tasmac outlets are motorists who consume alcohol and drive. He alleged that the traffic police do not conduct enough vehicle checks at night to curb the practice.
In Tiruvallur district, residents of Karanodai were initially excited to find that their long-standing demand for the closure of Tasmac Shop No. 9075 had been included in the list of 717 outlets shut down by the government. However, within two days of its closure, the shop was reopened after the authorities stated that the shop number had been wrongly mentioned in the list.
In Kancheepuram and Chengalpattu, activists say closing liquor shops near schools, colleges, bus stops and places of worship alone is not enough. “If those shops are closed, people go to elite shops. In Kancheepuram town alone, there are three outlets on the main road. Why do we need so many liquor shops in such a small town,” asked an activist. Farmers say that at many places, culverts, bridges and pump rooms have become informal drinking spots. Waste generated by those who gather there is often discarded indiscriminately, with plastic litter ending up in farmland and water channels. In many areas, tipplers dump plastics cups and papers on the road or throw them into waterbodies.
Among the outlets closed in Coimbatore was a bar-attached Tasmac shop at Airport Junction on Avinashi Road, which has busy bus stops, a Passport Seva Kendra, two hospitals, and a church within a 500-metre radius. A Tasmac official said the department continues to receive petitions seeking closure of additional outlets located near schools or places of worship. “These demands will be scrutinised,” he says.
Residents have also sought the closure of Tasmac Shop No. 1663 at Mani’s Theatre bus stop on Kamarajar Road, a busy stretch linking Avinashi Road and Tiruchi Road. Near the Pudukottai bus stand, two Tasmac outlets were closed, but two FL2 liquor outlets in the same area continue to operate, resulting in no change in the availability of alcohol.
Fresh list sought
A supervisor from Thanjavur says several Tasmac outlets near schools and public places were not included in the list of 717 shops. According to officials in Tiruchi and Pudukottai, the department has now sought a fresh list of outlets for possible closure. In Salem district, N. Prasanth, a resident of Kolathur, says residents of the locality are happy about the closure of the Tasmac outlet. Members of the public, especially women, had faced considerable hardship as inebriated customers often harassed women and picked quarrels, he adds.
Protests have been held across Erode district, seeking closure of more Tasmac outlets, with residents citing inconvenience and worries over safety. Residents of Solar, Kadambur, Ammapettai, and Anthiyur have submitted petitions to the district administration demanding closure of shops in their localities.
V. P. Manikandan, a Madurai-based activist, says a Tasmac outlet at Ellis Nagar, on his route to work, was closed. However, people have shifted to nearby recreation clubs. “Many also buy liquor, drink in vehicles parked along roadsides, and throw the empty bottles in residential areas,” he says.
In Tenkasi district, the authorities have closed the “low-sales” shops, while allowing “high-sales” outlets to continue their operation despite being located in violation of the norms, a supervisor claims.
Re-survey planned
In Virudhunagar, a senior official says efforts are being made to re-survey the distance between Tasmac retail outlets and schools, temples, and bus stands, as officials had erroneously prepared the list without properly verifying the 500-metre radius. This exercise was done in many parts of the State before complete closure. E. Srinivasagan, an AIADMK functionary, says the closure of two Tasmac outlets at Aruppukottai will serve no purpose as private bars continue operating nearby. “Earlier, the revenue went to the State exchequer. Now, private individuals are the ones benefiting,” he says.
The closure has displaced 3,474 shop workers. , including supervisors, salesmen, and assistant salesmen. Of them, 2,331 workers have been redeployed to nearby shops, while the remaining 1,143 will be sent to other shops in the coming days. Minister for Prohibition and Excise K. Vignesh said all workers would be redeployed at places where there was demand. A Tasmac supervisor in Madurai says he was posted at the Bibikulam outlet, which was closed for being within 500 metres of a place of worship and an educational institution. He has now been asked to join a shop at Tiruppalai, which already has three supervisors.
Questioning the rationale behind the decision, he alleges that employees from the closed outlets are being redeployed to shops that are adequately staffed. Many employees also voiced concern over the poor infrastructure and working conditions at Tasmac outlets and bars. They said the corporation offered low salaries, despite their work being demanding.
Residents across Tamil Nadu say they want more shops violating the norms to be shut and not merely relocated. They have also called for stricter enforcement of rules against drunken driving, tighter police surveillance, and stronger action to prevent the sale of spurious liquor. For many, the government must go beyond symbolic closure of shops and address the broader public safety concerns linked to alcohol.
(With inputs from R. Srikanth and Deepa H. Ramakrishnan in Chennai; B. Tilak Chandar and S. Sundar in Madurai; P. Sudhakar in Tirunelveli; Wilson Thomas in Coimbatore; Nacchinarkkiniyan M. in Tiruchi; M. Sabari in Salem; and S.P. Saravanan in Erode.)
