Chennai: As Tamilnadu opened its liquor shops today after 45 days, president of TASMAC Employees Association affiliated with AITUC and former MLA N Periyasamy said, “As early as 6 am people were waiting outside the wine shops. Even as sales is underway in full swing, we make sure customers stand in queues. We are checking their Aadhar cards and issuing token and giving sanitisers.”
At several outlets, a distance of three-feet is maintained between those standing in queues and when they inch closer to the outlet, they have to maintain six-feet distance.
He said that each customer is allowed to buy 750 ml and that can be given in two half ml bottles or four quarters. The TASMAC union is implementing the government order. The police are giving the security we need, he added.
However, the wine shop employees say that they need reimbursement for spending money on putting barricades and transporting the liquor from godowns.
It is said that people are also travelling far from their houses in the city to outskirts to get liquor, from places such as Velacheri to Chengalpet. There were also visuals of alcoholics selling small pieces of gold to get money for buying liquor.