India
oi-Madhuri Adnal
The state-run TASMAC, the liquor retailing monopoly in Tamil Nadu, issued show-cause notices to 1,729 staff and suspended 245 shop supervisors as most of the liquor outlets across the state remained shuttered for the second consecutive day on Monday, as the employees continued their strike.
A senior official of the Tamil Nadu State Marketing Corporation (TASMAC) on Tuesday said the administrative action spans multiple regions, including Chennai, Coimbatore, Madurai, Salem, and Trichy.
Tamil Nadu’s TASMAC issued 1,729 show-cause notices and suspended 245 staff due to a strike against a Rs 10 environmental cess on liquor bottles, affecting outlets across Chennai, Salem, Madurai, and other regions.
The employees are engaged in a strike opposing a newly introduced environmental and social welfare cess, which levies an additional Rs 10 per bottle on consumers as part of a buyback scheme.
The Chennai region accounted for 169 suspensions out of 341 show-cause notices issued.
Within Chennai, districts like Thiruvallur (East), Chennai (Central), and Chennai (North) bore the brunt, logging 61, 50, and 58 suspensions respectively.
Across the state’s other administrative zones, the crackdown intensified as authorities clamped down on irregular operations.
In the Salem region, 459 show-cause notices were issued, including 155 in Salem and 153 in Namakkal. 75 people were suspended in Krishnagiri district.
Meanwhile, 418 notices were issued in the Tiruchirappalli region-185 suspensions in Tiruchirappalli district and 175 in Puddukkottai district.
The Madurai region accounted for 475 notices – 247 in Tirunelveli district, 120 in Madurai North district, and 101 in Theni district.
In total, 931 notices were issued on November 1 and 798 notices on November 2.
TASMAC administration maintains that unauthorised closures of retail vending outlets disrupt public service norms, and strict disciplinary measures will continue against erring personnel to ensure accountability across all state-run liquor retail outlets.
