JOIN USLiquor shops open in Tamil Nadu after a month
After being shut for over a month, TASMAC liquor outlets in 27 districts in Tamil Nadu, including Chennai, opened their shutters on Monday as lockdown relaxations announced by the state government came into effect on Monday.
TASMAC shops in 27 of the total 38 districts opened at 10 am on Monday and functioned till 5 pm. The government allowed these shops to reopen as the daily Covid-19 cases came under control. The remaining 11 districts are still reporting high infection rate.
The government has issued strict guidelines to be followed at the TASMAC shops and police have also been deployed to control the crowd. Tipplers were seen waiting outside the shops since early morning and posed for shutterbugs when they had their “dose” in their hands.
In a video message to the people of the state, Chief Minister M K Stalin appealed to the public to strictly adhere to Covid-appropriate behaviour. He stressed wearing masks in public and maintaining social distancing at public places.
Stalin also said the government allowed TASMAC shops to function only to discourage people from consuming illicit arrack and smuggled liquor. He also warned that the relaxations will be withdrawn if rules are not followed properly.
This decision to reopen the shops met with stiff opposition from the BJP, which accused the ruling party of adopting “double standards”. The DMK had opposed the reopening of TASMAC shops during the first wave when AIADMK was ruling the state.
TASMAC, one of the major revenue-generating sources for the state government, sells liquor for about Rs 30,000 crore a year.