CHENNAI: Prohibition and Excise Minister K Vignesh on Thursday republished details of all 717 Tasmac outlets that had already been closed, following demands from MLAs during the Assembly session. The re-released list was shown to the media at the Secretariat.
Addressing reporters there, Vignesh said, “During the Assembly session, several MLAs asked us to provide the list of the 717 closed shops again. We had already posted the details, including the shop numbers and addresses, on social media. However, many were unaware of it. Hence, we have published the list again.”
The minister also said some MLAs had demanded that Tasmac outlets (excluding the 717) be closed instead of being shifted to other locations.
“In our recent analysis, we found that whenever a shop was closed, the crowd shifted to neighbouring outlets. In such situations, employees found it difficult to control the crowd. Therefore, we have decided to shift the outlets concerned instead of closing them down,” Vignesh said.
Responding to a question on allowing Tasmac bars to be set up within 100 metres of retail outlets, the minister said, “In a democratic country, everyone should get an opportunity. Under the existing system, a few people had been repeatedly securing the tenders. That is why we decided to allow bars to be set up within 100 metres of the outlets. This will enable more people to participate in the bar tenders,” Vignesh said.
Asked about introducing new liquor brands, Vignesh said, “Consumers want more premium brands of beer and liquor. The process is under way and we will introduce more brands soon.”
On the issue of orders pertaining to ban on sale of 11 liquor brands manufactured by Enrica Enterprises Pvt Ltd in Poonamallee, Tiruvallur, and revoking it the following day, the minister said, “The central government directed Tasmac to stop the sale. We implemented the order immediately. Once we received the directions to reverse the ban, Tasmac revoked it. Hence, we have no role in this issue,” he said.