With a mask on their face and an Aadhaar card in their hand, hundreds of people of different age groups thronged TASMAC shops across southern districts on Thursday. The outlets were closed for the past 44 days due to lockdown in the wake of COVID-19.
Of a total 96 wine shops in Tirunelveli district, 89 did business; it was 60 of 69 shops in Tenkasi district. Sixteen outlets situated in containment/problematic zones in the two districts remained closed.
Before sale of liquor began at 10 a.m., disinfectants were sprayed about two hours earlier in the outlets and on barricades erected to regulate the crowd.
Contrary to expectations of roaring response, the shops registered only moderate sale till noon as the first three hours were allotted for those aged above 50. Soon, the salesmen resorted to selling liquor to all customers irrespective of age. The situation changed in the afternoon, as tipplers below 40 years of age rushed to the shops during their allotted time.
Since bars were not allowed to open, bushes and trees close to the shops became open settings for those in haste.
Interestingly, TASMAC’s ‘Elite Shop’ that sold only premium brands in 750 ml or 1 litre packs attracted a huge crowd from 10 a.m. Among them were a large number of youth in their twenties and thirties even though it was not their allotted time. All started gathering even before a shop near Vaaikkaal Paalam in Palayamkottai, for instance, opened.
While regular outlets ceremoniously asked customers to produce their Aadhaar card to get purchase tokens, there was no such restriction in the elite ones, where liquor brands in the range of ₹1,500 a bottle sold like hotcakes. Latecomers were forced to buy costlier varieties priced at ₹2,500 and above.
Only after a police officer warned the elite shop salesman to check Aadhaar cards, customers produced it to prove their identity.
In Thoothukudi district, 138 out of 145 wine shops did roaring business.
In Kanniyakumari district, 100 of the 113 liquor shops recorded brisk sale. The remaining shops located in containment zones and near Kerala border did not open.
Fire broke out in two liquor shop godowns, both situated in a commercial complex at Irumbili in Colachel, and sale was suspended.
Police said liquor bottles meant for Thursday’s sale were stocked in the godown. Even before fire and rescue services personnel from Colachel extinguished the blaze, liquor bottles worth a few lakh rupees were damaged. They suspected that miscreants set fire to the gowdown through a window. Further investigation was on.