COIMBATORE: Minister for Prohibition and Excise S Muthusamy on Monday said Tasmac is planning to identify new persons who turn up at liquor shops and counsel them about the ill effects of alcohol addiction.
He also said elderly people who have health problems will be discouraged from consuming liquor. The minister, however, did not explain how first-timers/senior citizens with health issues would be identified. Addressing media persons in Coimbatore, the minister said that people who consume liquor in the morning are mostly those who involve in physical work and therefore should not be called ‘drunkards’. He said the label could be applied to those who consume alcohol regularly in the evenings for pleasure.
Further, Muthusamy clarified that the government did not change any policy decision regarding liquor sales. “Recently in Chennai, I shared a few details with the media like a proposal to introduce liquor in tetra packs and 90 ml packs. But it was misinterpreted and reported that the government would introduce them. Our first priority is to solve issues faced by Tasmac employees.”
“I shared the idea of a 90 ml pack with media only to get feedback. The idea has drawn sharp criticism, and the government has not announced or implemented anything. Similarly, the tetra pack idea is also under consideration. We are open to suggestions,” he added.
Further, Muthuswamy claimed that the idea of 90 ml was discussed after conducting a survey which revealed that 40 out of 100 people waited for about 30 minutes for a mate at the Tasmac shop to share the 180 ml bottle. He reiterated that the government had no idea of opening liquor shops at 7am and that he expressed concern about people turning to spurious liquor if shops remained closed in the morning.