THOOTHUKUDI: The Thoothukudi district administration has closed 63 out of the 125 Tasmac liquor shops in its limits in the past three days in line with the state government’s order to shut down 717 state-run outlets.
The mass closure of the liquor shops forced boozers to crowd at the existing shops, leading to traffic choke at some places.
The TVK government ordered the Tasmac to shut down liquor shops operating within 500 metres of places of worship, educational institutions and bus stands.
Accordingly, 63 liquor shops and the bars attached to them have been shut in Thoothukudi district alone. The district had 125 shops as the tenure of the DMK government ended in 2026. The figure was 154 in 2021 as the AIADMK regime ended.
“The district has only 62 liquor shops now. The liquor shops have been closed permanently in compliance with the norms. These shops will not be relocated; however, new shops may be opened at non-residential areas,” said a senior official of the Tasmac department.
The supervisors and salesmen of the closed shops have been deputed to nearby shops to manage operations.
Officials added that the sales at nearby liquor shops have doubled and tripled at some shops due to the closure of several shops.
CITU’s Tasmac workers association district secretary M Jegan claimed that the drastic closure of the Tasmac shops forced consumers to throng to operational ones. It has mounted pressure on the shops, and the demand has increased several folds. “The business at a liquor shop which normally makes Rs 2 lakh has jumped to Rs 6 lakh. It is the case for all the shops,” he said.
Previously, the Tasmac godown in SIPCOT dispatched 9,000 boxes containing 48 bottles each, everyday to the liquor shops in the district. Every shop received the load twice in a week. Following the closure of the shops, the officials had discussed sending loads to each shop four days in a week to meet the demands, said sources.
Activist A Sankar of Empower India, a consumer rights forum, said that the reduction of the number of Tasmac liquor shops would not reduce consumption. The drive has only increased the rush at nearby liquor outlets.
“The government should conduct quality checks on the liquor supplied, and give receipts for each buy to ensure responsibility and transparency,” he said.
Meanwhile, the public in Selvanayagapuram and Nanda Gopalapuram blocked the road demanding the closure of a liquor shop on the Selvanayagapuram road.
