Tamil Nadu govt issues order to close 500 liquor shops
The Tamil Nadu government says employees of the Tamil Nadu State Marketing Corporation affected by the closure will be transferred to other shops
Chennai: The Tamil Nadu government has issued the list of 500 liquor shops that are to be closed from Sunday.
This is in continuation to an order that was signed off by chief minister J. Jayalalithaa immediately after taking oath on 23 May.
The managing director of Tamil Nadu State Marketing Corporation Ltd (TASMAC) R. Kirlosh Kumar, on Saturday said in a statement: “While closing the shops, the stocks have to be transferred back to godowns. Properties other than the stock such as furniture, cash chest box, all records relating to the shops, billing machines, bottle coolers, other fixed assets, etc., are to be handed over to the concerned district manager. This has to be verified with the asset registers in the district manager office."
Kumar was on Friday appointed the managing director of TASMAC, the state-owned company with exclusive rights to sells alcohol in the retail markets.
According to the notice, 58 shops will be closed in Chennai region; 60 in Coimbatore region which includes Coimbatore, Erode, Tiruppur and Niligiris districts; 201 liquor shops in Madurai region, 133 in Trichy region and 48 in Salem region.
The chief minister had also signed off on an order shortening the opening hours of TASMAC shops, which double up as informal bars.
The All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam had in its manifesto mentioned that it would bring phased prohibition in the state by closing the TASMAC shops.
Another order by the government gives instructions on the redeployment of TASMAC employees made redundant by shop closures. They will be transferred to other shops where there are vacancies in the same region or district.
Around 10% of employees would be kept under the reserve category to fill vacancies “which arises due to leave, relieving of persons, etc." from TASMAC.
The 6,800-plus liquor shops run by TASMAC have been clocking up average sales of ₹ 68 to ₹ 70 crore per day. Revenue from liquor sales across the state for fiscal 2015 stood at ₹ 26,188 crore.
TASMAC has around 28,000 employees.
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