CHENNAI: Chennai suburbs are now not only the preferred destination of realtors, but also TASMAC outlets that have been mushrooming in these areas. In the last three months, about 40 new TASMAC wine shops have been opened in places such as Ambattur, Avadi, Porur, Poonamallee and residential colonies around Velacherry -- all on the fringes of the city. In fact, these are the migrated outlets, shifted from remote villages in Kanchipuram and Tiruvallur districts in an attempt to curb illegal bars. In order to generate more revenue, the TASMAC administration has given its consent for relocating liquor outlets anywhere within the district. Earlier, TASMAC shops could be shifted only within a radius of six kilometres from the existing place.According to reliable sources with TASMAC, if an individual owns a building with necessary space for a wine shop and is ready to run a licensed bar, the authorities are willing to shift a wine shop from any rural hamlet, which has an attached illegal bar. This move is like killing two birds with one stone — curtailing illegal bars and increasing revenue to the government, the sources added.But, trade union leaders are raising apprehensions over the new idea as it is allegedly proving to be counter productive. They feel that shutting down liquor shops in rural hamlets is opening the flood gates for illicit liquor and arrack in such areas.P S Soundarapandian, state president, TASMAC Employees Union (AITUC), says, “People will be forced to consume available illicit liquor, if they do not have any other choice. The move to shift TASMAC shops from villages to urban pockets is like rolling out red carpet for illicit liquor, which is dangerous to the lives of the public,” he cautioned.Another trade union activist, who preferred to remain anonymous, alleged that the sale had dipped considerably in the shifted liquor shops. He said the administration had recently shifted a TASMAC shop from Odhikaddu village in Tiruvallur to Ambattur OT near Chennai for the purpose of encouraging a legal bar. The shop was recording an average daily sale of `1 lakh in the village, which has decreased to `35,000 after it was shifted to Ambattur. “Even if the income from the bar is taken into account, the revenue for the TASMAC is just `37,500, losing a sum of `62,500 every day,” he noted.When contacted, official sources were not available to comment on the issue.
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