CHENNAI: Following directions from the Election Commission of India (ECI), the Tamil Nadu State Marketing Corporation (Tasmac) has intensified monitoring of liquor stock and sales across the state to ensure strict compliance with election guidelines during the Model Code of Conduct (MCC) period.
A senior Tasmac official told TNIE, “Once the MCC comes into force, the corporation is required to regularly submit detailed reports on stock and sales to the poll body. As per guidelines, if sales increase by more than 30% compared to the same period last year, it may indicate bulk purchases, which need to be investigated. Similarly, liquor stock in all 4,800 retail outlets should not exceed 50% than previous year’s level.”
He said that Tasmac has implemented end-to-end computerisation in all its retail outlets across the state. “This is the first time we are facing Assembly elections with this facility. It helps us track stock and sales in real time. All supervisors have been strictly instructed to prevent bulk sales,” he added.
Meanwhile, concerns have been raised by consumers over alleged irregularities in liquor sales at bars. As bars are not permitted to sell liquor directly, questions have been raised on how such activities continue.
In several places, bars were seen using two separate QR code scanners – one for liquor and another for food items – while Tasmac retail outlets do not have QR code scanners.
Customers have also alleged that liquor is being sold above the maximum retail price (MRP) in many bars. For instance, a 650 ml beer bottle with an MRP of `170 is reportedly sold for around `210.
A Tasmac employee, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the corporation had introduced online payment systems to improve transparency. “With digital payments, it is not possible to collect more than the MRP. However, some outlets allegedly supply liquor bottles to bar owners with the help of officials, which is against the rules,” the employee claimed.