In line with the announcement made on the floor of the Assembly in April by the state government, 500 retail liquor stores will stop functioning from June 22 onwards, the state-run Tamil Nadu State Marketing Corporation (Tasmac) said on Wednesday.
Minister V Senthil Balaji, who has been arrested by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) and is currently hospitalised for heart-related ailment, had made the announcement in the House in April this year, while holding the Excise portfolio then. Tamil Nadu issued a government order (G.O) over the closure of 500 Tasmac shops.
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V Senthil Balaji made the announcement as per the direction of Chief Minister MK Stalin.
“In order to implement the Government order, it has been directed to identify 500 retail outlets across the state and close them from June 22, 20223 onwards. Based on that, the said 500 retail outlets will not function from June 22,” a Tasmac statement said.
As per the announcement, 138 of the total 905 shops in the Chennai region will be closed. They include 20 shops each from North Chennai and Central Chennai regions, 21 in South Chennai, 15 in Kancheepuram North, 16 in Kancheepuram South, 32 in Tiruvallur East and 14 in Tiruvallur West.
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Of the total 1,345 shops in the Madurai region, 125 shops are set to be closed from June 22. Similarly, 100 shops will be closed in Tiruchirapalli region from the existing 1,145. In the Coimbatore region, 78 shops will be closed of the total 933 shops. In Salem, of the 1,001 liquor shops, 59 will be closed.