Shut but open: closure of TASMAC liquor shops in Tamil Nadu

Account subscription benefits alongside Premium Stories, Editorials, Opinions and more. Unlock these with Subscription

The View From India Looking at World Affairs from the Indian perspective.

First Day First Show News and reviews from the world of cinema and streaming.

Today's Cache Your download of the top 5 technology stories of the day.

Data Point Decoding the headlines with facts, figures, and numbers

Health Matters Ramya Kannan writes to you on getting to good health, and staying there

The Hindu On Books Books of the week, reviews, excerpts, new titles and features.

On May 12, Tamil Nadu Chief Minister C. Joseph Vijay ordered the closure of around 717 liquor shops located near schools and places of worship across the State. Within a month, these shops have disappeared from Tamil Nadu’s streets. But, in the towns and villages across the State, customers have merely migrated to the next nearest Tamil Nadu State Marketing Corporation (TASMAC) outlet. Residents, meanwhile, complain that they have not yet seen an end to drunken nuisance at public spaces.

This is not the first time Tamil Nadu has acted to cut down on the number of TASMAC outlets. In 2016, Chief Minister Jayalalithaa promised prohibition in phases and closed around 500 shops. The following year, her successor Edappadi K. Palaniswami announced the closure of another 500 shops.

In 2023, Minister for Electricity, Prohibition and Excise V. Senthil Balaji informed the Assembly that 500 more TASMAC retail outlets would be closed. The latest closure of 717 shops is therefore the latest chapter in a long-running effort to balance public sentiment with the State’s dependence on revenue from liquor sales.

“From past experience, every time a new party comes to power in Tamil Nadu, closing liquor shops becomes one of its standard promises. But shops are eventually opened in other locations. Moreover, shutting down outlets does not necessarily result in a loss of business, as tipplers simply migrate to nearby shops. What the Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) government has done too is merely a cosmetic fix to a much deeper problem,” says a source tracking the liquor industry.

In the days following the closure order, The Hindu visited several TASMAC outlets across Tamil Nadu to examine whether the shutters had truly come down and whether the decision had made any tangible difference on the ground. They had, in many areas. However, during this visit, members of the public have said there are more such shops which the government has to close.

For instance, at Velachery in Chennai, residents of B