Tasmac shuts 150 outlets in three days; salesmen face challenges from customers

More than 150 liquor outlets located near educational institutions and places of worship across Tamil Nadu were closed following directives issued by Chief Minister C. Joseph Vijay. Sources said that approximately 50 stores were closed on May 12, followed by another 50 stores on May 13 and another 50 on May 14. Employees involved in the process said that closing a store is not a simple practice of closing operations and evacuating the building. They stated that this involved an elaborate procedure of completing the necessary financial and administrative formalities, including shifting existing stock to the godown and submitting accounts.

Tamil Nadu State Marketing Corporation Limited, known as Tasmac, has compiled and segregated the details of the stores to be closed based on multiple categories, including district, store number and the administrative area (corporation, municipality, town panchayat or village panchayat) in which the outlet falls. Additional parameters such as the store’s distance from bus stops, places of worship and educational institutions, number of boxes sold and average daily sales in terms of daily revenue were also taken into account.

On Thursday, May 14, 2026, another circular was published stating that strict action will be taken against those who sell alcohol above the Maximum Retail Price (MRP). The ministry has directed officials to conduct surprise inspections across the state and warned of strict action against shops found violating set rules and pricing norms.

This is not the first instance where such action has been initiated. Over the years, Tasmac has periodically instructed its teams to monitor and ensure compliance of liquor outlets with the set MRP norms. According to drinkers, some outlets reportedly charge an additional fee ranging from ₹10 to ₹20 per bottle above the MRP.

Three sellers from different outlets shared their views on why customers are sometimes charged additional fees. One of them said, “If the bottles are damaged while unloading the stock from the vehicles, we have to bear the cost at the MIP rate. Beer bottles are more prone to cracking and breaking during the summer season, and this loss must be covered by us. In addition, there are transportation and labor costs in transporting the stocks from warehouses to stores, and these costs must be paid by us.”

A second vendor pointed out that salaries in TASMAC remain relatively low compared to neighboring states such as Kerala. He said a manager received a salary of 16,850 Indian rupees, which came down to around 14,518 Indian rupees after deductions. Similarly, sellers get ₹14,530, take home pay drops to around ₹12,477 after deductions, while salespeople get ₹13,340 and take home around ₹11,429 after deductions. The third vendor said the government should hold a meeting with them and ask what challenges employees at Tasmac stores are facing.

Employees at Tasmac stores in the Chennai region said they have faced difficult situations since the announcements were made, and social media has been flooded with videos targeting stores in various regions. Some dealers claimed young people filmed themselves buying drinks and warned them about being exposed in public, causing stress.

Meanwhile, the State government has reaffirmed the 21-year limit on purchasing alcohol in Tamil Nadu.