CHENNAI: Tamil Nadu State Marketing Corporation (Tasmac) has temporarily scrapped the ‘special order’ system, which allowed Tasmac district managers to place orders from distilleries or breweries based on stock availability in its depots or godowns rather than data from retail outlets on the sale of liquor varieties. This comes after allegations were raised about certain distilleries being favoured over others even when the demand for their brands was not high among customers.
Tasmac sources said it has now been decided to procure liquor based on actual sales recorded in retail outlets. Importantly, the move comes days after extensive raids by the Enforcement Directorate in Tasmac offices and outlets across the state, which, according to the central agency, has unearthed a “well-orchestrated scheme” of corruption. In Tamil Nadu, most of the distilleries and breweries are run by people with political affiliations, sources said.
A senior Tasmac official told TNIE that the organisation buys liquor from 11 Indian Made Foreign Liquor (IMFL) units, seven beer manufacturers, and one winery. The stock is stored in depots before being sent to retail outlets. Until now, purchases were based on depot reports. This meant that as soon as the stocks are pushed from the depots to outlets, fresh orders for those brands could be made.
In this system, certain liquor brands were frequently ordered and forcibly stocked in retail shops even if the demand for those varieties was poor among consumers. This led to consumers being forced to buy the brands that are available instead of brands of their choice.
According to sources, after the “special order” system is discontinued, Tasmac will procure only fast-moving products based on retail sales data. Sources said Tasmac has already started following the new method over the past few days by issuing necessary instructions to district managers.
The ED had raided the office of the Tasmac Managing Director and three distilleries in Chennai, among others, and seized several documents. Raids were also conducted in many districts. TNIE earlier reported that ED had sought sales figures for every retail outlet.
Another official said that ED has requested details of income, expenses, and district-wise liquor procurement from all retail outlets. “While some documents have been submitted, most data are yet to be provided. However, ED officials have already seized a few key records,” he added.
Tasmac operates 4,829 retail shops across Tamil Nadu and sells an average of 10,000 cases (each containing 12 bottles) of beer and 17,000 cases (each containing 48 bottles) of IMFL every day.
The official also expressed concern over discrepancies in sales data collected through the recently introduced QR-code system. “There is a mismatch between revenue figures from retail outlets and the main server. The issue has been persisting since the QR code system was launched,” he said.