CHENNAI: Even as the Tamil Nadu State Marketing Corporation (Tasmac) ordered the closure of around 2,700 bars attached to its liquor retail outlets after their extended licence expired on June 30, several bars continued to operate in violation of the order, raising serious questions over the corporation’s enforcement and monitoring.
According to Tasmac’s instructions issued on Wednesday, all bars were to remain shut until further orders. District managers (DMs) were directed to inspect every bar in their respective districts and ensure that any bar found open was immediately locked and sealed.
However, a visit by TNIE to several liquor outlets in and around Chennai found that many attached bars were continuing to function openly despite the corporation’s directive. The apparent failure to implement its own order has exposed glaring lapses in Tasmac’s enforcement mechanism.
The issue has also sparked criticism as neither the state government nor Tasmac issued any public announcement regarding the closure, leaving consumers and licence holders confused.
Tamil Nadu Tasmac Bar Owners’ Association president N Anbarasan claimed that Tasmac officials had orally assured bar owners of a three-month extension and permitted them to continue operations until Monday.
Repeated attempts by TNIE to contact Tasmac chairman K Nandhakumar for clarification were unsuccessful.