CHENNAI: Even though the Tamil Nadu State Marketing Corporation (Tasmac) has introduced the bottle buy-back system at its retail liquor outlets in several districts, most consumers remain unaware of the facility to return empty liquor bottles. As a result, the scheme has failed to get the expected response from the public. Empty liquor bottles are often found dumped along roadsides, near waterbodies and close to Tasmac shops, causing both health and environmental concerns.
Under the bottle buy-back system, Tasmac collects a refundable deposit of Rs 10 for each liquor bottle sold. Consumers can return the empty bottles to the retail outlet and get the amount back. A visit by TNIE to several Tasmac outlets in Narayanapuram, Pallikaranai, Medavakkam, Tambaram and nearby suburban areas of Chennai revealed that the scheme is not being effectively implemented on the ground.
In many shops, salesmen do not inform customers about the option to return empty bottles at the time of purchase. There are also no visible signboards explaining the scheme or the refundable amount. As a result, consumers continue to throw away bottles near shops or in open areas, as they had been doing earlier. In some locations, labourers attached to nearby bars were seen collecting and storing bottles, raising questions about whether the buy-back benefit is actually reaching customers.
N Prakash (38), a resident of Pallikaranai, said Tasmac should display clear boards at all retail outlets mentioning liquor prices, the buy-back scheme and the refundable deposit.
“Even though the government has denied that an extra `10 is being collected over the MRP, employees are still indulging in malpractice. Now, they are collecting an additional `10 in the name of the buy-back scheme,” he alleged. He urged the government to ensure that the scheme is implemented in a transparent manner.
Speaking to TNIE, Prohibition and Excise Minister S Muthusamy said strict instructions had been issued to officials to provide bills to every consumer without fail. He also assured that the ground situation would be reviewed once again for further actions.
“The objective of the scheme is to protect the environment. If there are complaints of malpractice, strict action will be taken against those involved,” the minister said, adding that awareness measures would be strengthened to ensure the scheme serves its purpose.