Chennai: The Tamilnadu government’s decision to reopen its TASMAC liquor shops from 7 May has attracted criticism from opposition leaders and healthcare experts.
PMK founder S Ramadoss, who is batting for prohibition for a long time, said the move to reopen liquor outlets might result in the increase of Covid-19 cases and law and order problems too might arise again.
CPI(M) State secretary Balakrishnan said the decision to reopen TASMAC shops was condemnable. AMMK founder TTV Dhinakaran said, “the decision by the Tamilnadu government to open TASMAC outlets from 7 May is atrocious and should be condemned.”
He added: “When the number of positive cases are on the rise by hundreds in Chennai and other parts of Tamilnadu, the decision to open liquor shops is akin to playing with people’s lives.”
In what could be seen as music to the ears of tipplers, who were left “high and dry” in the wake of lockdown to tackle the spread of coronavirus, the Tamilnadu government on Monday announced opening of state-owned TASMAC liquor shops from May seven, but with some stringent conditions.
An official release here said the shops in the State would be allowed to open from 10 am to 5 pm from May seven onwards in non-containment zones, following reports that people from Tamilnadu were making thronging the border areas of neighbouring States like Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh where wine shops were allowed to open.
“As there are difficulties in restricting the people’s movement in the border areas of neighbouring states thronging the liquor shops, the government has decided to open the TASMAC shops from May seven onwards from 10 am to 5 pm”, an official release here said. Healthcare experts too have expressed fear that reopening of TASMAC shops without taking enough precautionary measures might result in increase in coronavirus cases.