Amidst opposition from political parties and activists over the risk of COVID-19 spreading faster because of overcrowding, the Tamil Nadu State Marketing Corporation (Tasmac) shops reopened in the city on Tuesday.
However, of the 640 outlets that reopened, crowds were observed only in a handful. “On an average, only 300 tokens, out of the 500 announced per day, were used. There was no crowd in many shops. Even Elite shops did not see much rush,” said a source from Tasmac.
Premises sanitised
The cash cow of the State government had put up shamianas in front of most shops, sanitised the premises, installed barricades to ensure physical distancing and provided protective equipment to all employees.
On their part, the police had made elaborate arrangements to prevent traffic problems around the shops.
“In shops on main roads and those near big retail outlets, we deployed teams headed by inspectors. In other areas, sub-inspectors headed the teams. They were assisted by personnel from the Armed Reserve and the Home Guards,” said a senior police officer.
Physical distancing
“Circles were drawn to indicate personal distancing and barricades were placed to regulate customers. The tokens were given 50 m away from the shop,” said the officer.
At the Tasmac shop in Mylapore, customers started to collect coupons as early as 8 a.m.
Hundreds were standing in queues at this particular shop while the police were monitoring them.
Thavamani, who walked into the Mylapore outlet, said that all arrangements were in place to ensure personal distancing. “I was not wearing the mask properly. The staff and the police chided me,” he said.
Of the 26 liquor outlets that reporters visited in the city, only the Mylapore and Triplicane shops were crowded and the rest had only 10-15 people standing in the queue.
By 11.30 a.m, only select outlets in the city witnessed good crowd, some of them throwing physical distancing norms to the wind, and all other shops hardly had 5-10 persons standing in queue. The same was the case in Anna Nagar, Kilpauk, Ambattur, Padi and Poonamallee.
Available in black market
A Tasmac shop employee in the city said, “Unlike the crowds that surged in districts when Tasmac shops reopened, there is not much rush in the city as liquor bottles were already available in black market.”
Once shops opened in neighbouring districts and on Chennai’s outskirts, people started procuring and stocking liquor, said a Tasmac official.
Also, a majority of migrant workers from other States have left Chennai and those working in Chennai from other parts of Tamil Nadu had moved to their hometown — this particular crowd constitutes 50% of liquor buyers in Chennai, he said. For shops near markets like Koyambedu, daily wage workers are their regular customers. With the main markets closed, sales in these outlets were hit, he said.
Meanwhile, on Tuesday, Rajeshwari Priya of Anaithu Makkal Arasiyal Katchi staged a protest outside a Tasmac shop in Anna Nagar. She condemned the government’s decision to reopen the shops at a juncture when people had lost their jobs due to COVID-19. She courted arrest and was detained at a marriage hall.
On an average, the Chennai market contributes ₹12 crore to ₹15 crore a day to the State coffers with liquor sales being ₹130 crore to ₹140 crore a day across Tamil Nadu.