CHENNAI: The recent notification by the Tamil Nadu government, allowing the possession and serving of liquor in public places through a special licence, has sparked controversy and drawn criticism from opposition parties.
The state government’s Home, Prohibition and Excise Department issued a notice last month. The notification stated that a special licence would be provided to commercial premises such as marriage halls, sports stadiums and others to facilitate possessing and serving liquor to the guests, visitors and participants in national and international events, conferences and other festival celebrations.
The news of the special licence has been met with opposition from various political parties, including the AIADMK's general secretary Edappadi K Palaniswami and BJP's state president K Annamalai, who have called for an immediate withdrawal of the notification.
“I condemn the DMK’s decision to allow serving alcohol in marriage halls and stadia. While they claimed their goal was total prohibition, they also allow liquor shops to function 12 hours a day,” said Palaniswami.
“This move will destroy the future of youngsters by encouraging alcohol addiction,” he added.