The Tamil Nadu government has decided to hike prices of liquor by up to Rs 20, as it is readying itself to open liquor outlets on Thursday. Elaborate arrangements have been made at the outlets of the Tamil Nadu State Marketing Corporation (Tasmac), a state government-owned company having monopoly over wholesale and retail vending of alcoholic beverages, in view of widespread chaos and unruly scenes witnessed in various states.
Retail liquor outlets will be open for business for the first time in over 40 days. The increase in prices is being effected following a 15% hike in the excise duty on Indian Made Foreign Liquor (IMFL), an official release said.
Accordingly, the rate of a normal brand of 180 ml of IMFL will go up by Rs 10, while premium ones will see a price increase of Rs 20, it said.
Liquor sales contributes significantly to the state’s coffers, with the turnover being around Rs 29,000 crore in FY20.
The decision to open outlets was taken after people in districts bordering Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh started making a beeline to liquor shops which had started functioning from Monday, posing a challenge in controlling people’s movement.
Though the Tamil Nadu government initially planned to open liquor shops across the state, barring the containment zones, on May 7, it later decided not to open outlets in Chennai city limits and some neighbouring districts for now, owing to criticism by the Opposition.
Barricades will be created at each Tasmac outlet, which will be manned by two constables, two home guards and two volunteers. Social distancing norms have to be followed. At the barricade between Tasmac shop and a public place, there will be another ring of force deployment with four constables, four home guards and four volunteers being kept on vigil. A public addressing system will be kept in a police vehicle in the close vicinity.
The token system will be introduced to ensure different timings for different age groups. Accordingly, liquor for people aged over 50 years will be sold from 10 am to 1 pm, while those between 40 and 50 years can visit outlets from 1 pm to 3 pm. For below 40, the time slot is 3 pm to 5 pm.