Liquor buyers dejected as many Tasmac outlets remain closed as workers oppose Tasmac’s initiative to implement empty bottle buyback scheme.
“An 180ml bottle that costs ₹140 was sold for ₹200 at Singaram Bar on Dr B Narasimhan Road, T Nagar. We had to pay extra to avoid the queue of nearly 200 people,” said Manikandan, a painter who managed to buy four 180ml bottles. He alleged that a group was working behind the scenes to undermine the reforms introduced in Tasmac over the past few months.
A worker said the CITU-affiliated union had asked them to shut the outlet. With large crowds at the few operational shops, Tasmac-attached bars cashed in on the situation, allegedly overcharging customers desperate to buy liquor. Prohibition and excise minister K Vignesh said on Tuesday that Tasmac would recruit new personnel to run the outlets if existing employees did not return to work.
Tasmac suspended a total of 164 employees for failing to open shops on Monday and Tuesday. A total of 1,729 memos were issued.
Tasmac will recruit new personnel in place of those suspended, and the process is under way,” the minister said. “The number will definitely increase. These reforms are a govt policy decision, and anyone trying to challenge the initiatives cannot escape penal action.