After 145 days, Chennai's TASMAC outlets resume liquor sales

After nearly five months of staying shut, liquor shops in Chennai finally re-opened their shutters, on Tuesday. The city's government-run TASMAC (Tamil Nadu State Marketing Corporation) outlets that command monopoly over alcohol sales in Tamil Nadu began running orders for the first time in 145 days, with barricades and social distancing norms in place. Patrons were ordered to wear masks in order to buy alcohol.

What was surprising to note was the conspicuous absence of serpentine queues, which made their presence felt across several cities in May, after being shut at the start of the nationwide lockdown in late March. The dwindling numbers could possibly be a sign of inhabitants in Chennai travelling to nearby districts to stock up on alcohol over the last five months.

TASMAC outlet in Chennai.

Since reopening in early May, Tamil Nadu’s TASMAC outlets registered sales of Rs 172 crore on the first day of business, itself. The impressive number was notched up even as alcohol shops in Chennai remained shut. However, the government, which has monopoly over alcohol retail in the state, has had to wage a legal battle that reached the Supreme Court in mid-May, when the Madras High Court issued a stay on the state government’s decision to reopen TASMAC outlets.

On May 15, the Supreme Court allowed TASMAC outlets to function. The Tamil Nadu Government clarified that shops in Chennai would continue to stay shut on account of an unrelenting spike in COVID-19 cases.

On reopening in Chennai today, TASMAC outlets functioned under the watchful eye of the city police, even as tipplers began waiting in line to pick up their drinks. The Tamil Nadu government said a strict token system would be followed, where patrons would have to pick up a token and wait in line to buy alcohol. A maximum of 500 tokens per day would be issued by each TASMAC outlet.

Also read: No receipts, rationing or online sales: Why Madras HC ordered to shut liquor shops

Police units continued making public service announcements, urging customers to wear masks before picking up their tokens and buying alcohol. Inside TASMAC shops, employees of the state corporation wore masks and face shields as a precautionary measure against the spread of the novel coronavirus.