Officials, after conducting surprise checks at Tamil Nadu State Marketing Corporation (TASMAC) outlets using ‘decoys’ for two days, on Saturday ordered the suspension of 149 employees on the charge of selling liquor at excess price to customers.
Following complaints about TASMAC employees in most of the outlets collecting Rs. 5 for low-end liquor varieties and Rs.10 for reputed brands over and above the stipulated selling price, the drive was organised.
Commissioner for Prohibition and Excise Malik Feroze Khan, Collector M. Karunagaran, Senior Regional Manager of TASMAC P. Rathnavel, District Manager of TASMAC S. Soundarapandian and Deputy Commissioner of Excise K. Shanthi constituted special teams to carry out the raids.
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More than 70 shops were ‘raided’ and liquor bottles were purchased paying extra money. At the end of the drive, the officials ordered the suspension of 48 supervisors, 77 salesmen and 24 Assistant Salesmen.
The TASMAC employees union, however, condemned the raids stating that suspension was done without even inquiring the staff. In the event of the staff being found guilty, penalty could have been levied on them. Suspension would only result in increased work load. The TASMAC employees would resort to a massive agitation condemning this mass suspension, it said.
Issuing a stern warning against collecting excess money from the consumers, the Collector said that frequent checks would be conducted at TASMAC outlets.
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In the event of fleecing, the consumers could send an SMS with details such as shop number, location, date and time besides the liquor brand purchased and the price paid as against the fixed price to 94450-29716.