Chennai: Netas ‘take away’ top brands, tipplers left dry

CHENNAI: In spite of the cap on bulk purchase of beer, customers and employees at government-run liquor stores complained that political bigwigs in the area ‘take away’ huge quantities of top brands for election rallies and meetings. The rest of the customers are left with brands which are not sought after and have to buy them by paying Rs 10-Rs 30 more than the actual price at bars attached to retail units.

Tamil Nadu State Marketing Corporation Limited (Tasmac), functioning under the state home-prohibition and excise department, sells beer and Indian-made Foreign Liquor (IFML) through 3,800 retail vending shops and 1,400 bars attached to these shops. TASMAC anticipated an increase in liquor sales, particularly beer, this summer because of three reasons -- summer, Lok Sabha polls and Indian Premier League (IPL).

"We are ordering 25 beer cases (with 12 bottles each) every third day instead of the usual 10 or 12 as demand has shot up," said an employee at a TASMAC unit in Nanganallur, requesting anonymity.

The shop, which used to earn anywhere between Rs 55,000-60,000 a day from sale of beer is now making more than Rs 90,000 , the employee added.

Overall, TASMAC's average daily revenue through sale of beer has increased from Rs 16 crore in the summer of 2018 to Rs 20 crore now, said government sources. But official figures couldn't be ascertained from TASMAC.

To prevent shortage, TASMAC has instructed retail shops not to sell more than four beer bottles to a single person. But political parties manage to bypass this and buy large quantities.

"Some people return demanding beer in a span of few hours and it is practically impossible to keep track of them in the crowd during the busy hours in the evening," said another worker at a shop in T Nagar.

K Thiruselvan from TASMAC Employees Union claimed, "Some shops in Avadi, Ambattur don't provide beer at the counter. Instead customers are directed to approach the bars attached to these shops for beer". It turned out to be true when TOI checked out a shop located close to Avadi railway station. Nagesh, a customer at T Nagar, said, "Even if we are ready to pay over and above the Maximum Retail Price (MRP), we are not provided with brands which we want. Instead some local brands are sold to us"

Government sources, however, argued that last year the sales figures dropped because many shops were closed due to highway liquor ban imposed by the Supreme Court.