After six weeks, despite severe opposition, the Tamil Nadu government on Thursday will throw open the doors of its 3,850 Tasmac outlets across the State, barring Chennai, with full police protection.
Only medically fit employees of Tasmac (below 55 years of age) have been called for work and tipplers walking in to purchase liquor should carry Aadhaar cards and wear masks. “Aadhaar card is a must and those walking in without a mask will not get liquor,” said a senior government official. The official added that the increase in liquor prices would fetch additional revenue of up to ₹4,000 crore for the State coffers. The Tamil Nadu State Marketing Corporation has ordered that there should not be any bulk sales at the outlets.
On Wednesday, with the help of district managers, Tasmac moved its stock from godowns and depots to shops through lorries. A few weeks ago, people broke open Tasmac shops to steal liquor, after which the State government had decided to shift stock to nearby godowns and deploy additional security. “Lorries and private vehicles were used to bring stocks to the shops,” said a manager at a shop near Coimbatore.
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Precautions taken
Salesmen at a shop in Madurai said, “We were asked to check the dates on beer and wine bottles that came in. Before that, we were asked to wear gloves and masks. We have been told to give hand sanitisers to those walking into outlets. We have been instructed to keep two drums of water for people to wash their hands and legs,” he added.
Tasmac has told district managers that a token system must be followed. “Printed tokens will be given with date and time so that people don’t crowd near the shops. Tokens will not be given beyond 4 p.m.,” said a Tasmac district manager. He added, “Permission has also been given to temporarily hire additional staff to manage the crowd.”
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By Wednesday, shops disinfected their premises and barricading was done with wooden sticks. Circles were drawn with a distance of six feet between each. “In some places, those staying nearby came in to wash the roads and sprayed bleaching powder in their streets,” said a Tasmac union member. In some pockets, tipplers came in on Wednesday evening and asked for tokens to be given, but were turned away by employees arranging stocks at the shops. “We just hope they don’t break in and lift liquor tonight,” another union member said.
Since liquor shops in Chennai region have been asked not to operate, many people have started to neighbouring districts to buy a bottle. Bootleggers have already started sending WhatsApp messages to regulars for orders. Tasmac, on an average, sells liquor worth ₹85 crore to ₹90 crore and during weekends and the festive season, the sales cross the ₹100 crore mark. Tamil Nadu has over 5,300 liquor outlets employing over 25,000 people. Through the sale of liquor, the State government earned ₹33,000 crore during 2019-2020.