Chennai: Following the coronavirus pandemic, bars were shut from 17 March and TASMAC shops from 23 March, despite the outlets being the main source of income for the government. However, tipplers can be seen outside the downed shutters of wine shops hoping to lay hands on a bottle of liquor through the black market.
Sridhar (name changed) says it has been hard for him to stay without alcohol for a long time.
“My friends and I found a bootlegger. He was making use of the opportunity and selling liquor at higher prices because of the huge demand. For a bottle worth Rs 2000, I paid for Rs 5,000.”
He said he did not regret for spending the money as liquor was an absolute necessary for him.
And, interestingly, the decision to shut liquor shops is not well accepted by many in the healthcare sector, citing the ill-effects it may have on alcoholics.
Speaking to News Today, Dr Ravindranath of Doctors Association for Social Equality, says, “The sudden closure will only aggravate the situation. This may even cause deaths. Withdrawal syndromes or Delirium Tremors is a serious problem. While closing wine shops was important, along with that the government should have run campaigns to let people know de-addiction centres and counselling.”
President of TASMAC Employees Association N Periyasamy says, “In Kerala, seven persons died due to non-availability of alcohol while that State lost just one life to Coronavirus. This shows that gravity of the situation. We stand with government on this issue, the shops will remain shut. We are witnessing how policemen across the State are finding it hard to control normal people. Imagine if they have to handle alcoholics during a crisis time. There are 19 de-addiction centres in Tamilnadu run by the government.”