Tasmac shutdown: prohibition minister says 10 lakh people may have chosen family over drink

Prohibition and Excise Minister Vignesh on Tuesday said he was personally happy that nearly 10 lakh people may have stayed away from alcohol on Monday when hundreds of Tasmac outlets remained closed due to an employees’ protest.
Tamil Nadu has 4,040 Tasmac liquor outlets. The management had directed employees to implement a scheme from November 1 under which customers would receive a refund of Rs. 10 for returning empty liquor bottles.
However, citing practical difficulties in implementing the order, Tasmac employees staged sudden shutdown protests at several places across the State. Around 460 outlets were reportedly closed.
The minister had earlier warned that departmental action would be taken if the outlets were not reopened.
Speaking to reporters on Tuesday, Vignesh said the government had introduced several welfare measures for Tasmac employees after coming to power.
Their salaries had been increased from Rs. 14,000 to between Rs. 14,000 and Rs. 33,000. Employees had also been given one weekly holiday and two days off a
month.
He said the government had provided free uniforms and Rs. 6,000 towards stitching charges. Festival assistance of Rs. 20,000, loans and medical insurance were among the other benefits extended to employees.
On the uniform issue, the minister said employees need to wear the prescribed attire only while working at the outlets.
He added that the uniforms were introduced to help identify genuine employees and ensure that they were treated with dignity.
Urging employees to cooperate with the department, Vignesh said that although the shutdown had caused revenue loss to the government, he was personally happy that nearly 10 lakh people might have refrained from drinking that day and spent the Rs. 150 they would otherwise have spent on alcohol for their families.