The Managing Director of the Tamil Nadu State Marketing Corporation Limited (TASMAC) has been directed by the State Government to implement the buy-back scheme for empty liquor bottles following a recent order by a division bench of the Madras High Court.
In the direction, sent by the Home, Excise and Prohibition Department, permission has been granted to TASMAC to buy back the empty liquor bottles in state-run liquor shops in the Nilgiris district.
“For every sale of liquor bottle in the Nilgiris district, an extra amount of ₹ 10 shall be collected from the consumer over and above the maximum retail price,” the letter said.
The extra money will be returned to the consumer on returning the liquor bottle at the shop. TASMAC shops have also been directed to collect liquor bottles sold in any liquor shop in the Nilgiris. A rubber stamp marking will be made in all liquor bottles sold in the Nilgiris district.
The managing director of TASMAC has also been told to make necessary arrangements for creating awareness among members of the public about the initiative.
The move towards implementing the buy-back scheme for liquor bottles in the Nilgiris has come following concerns raised by activists that discarded glass bottles near forest areas pose a threat to the well-being of the district’s unique wildlife.
