Chennai: Tamil Nadu Chief Minister C Joseph Vijay on Tuesday, May 12, ordered the closure of 717 retail liquor outlets, including 276 shops near places of worship across the state.
Considering the welfare of the public, Vijay issued orders to shut down the retail liquor outlets, an official release said.
Accordingly, 276 outlets near places of worship, 186 shops near educational institutions, and 255 outlets near bus stands will be closed within the next two weeks, it said.
There has been widespread demand, especially from women and a few political parties in the state, that all the liquor shops in the state should be closed.
The Tamil Nadu State Marketing Corporation (Tasmac) operates 4,765 retail liquor outlets across the state.
DMK responds
Responding, DMK spokesperson Saravanan Annadurai claimed TASMAC outlets were not present outside places of religious worship and educational institutions.
“Will they open new shops and close them down. This is mere PR (public relations),” he said on social media platform ‘X.’
The Tamil Nadu State Marketing Corporation (TASMAC) operates 4,765 retail liquor outlets across the state.
In 2025, the revenue from liquor sales in Tamil Nadu was Rs 48,344 crore. TASMAC sells 551 brands of liquor imported from foreign countries, including 223 brands of wine being sold through licensed retail outlets.
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