According to data, the closure drive has displaced 3,474 shop personnel, including supervisors, salesmen, and assistant salesmen.
| Photo Credit: S. Siva Saravanan
Acting on a directive from Chief Minister C. Joseph Vijay, the Tamil Nadu State Marketing Corporation Limited (Tasmac) has shut down 717 liquor outlets across the State. While 610 shops had been closed by June 3, 2026, an additional 107 outlets downed their shutters on June 5, 2026, taking the total number of closures to 717. The highest number of shops were closed in the Madurai region with 290, followed by the Coimbatore region with 179. The Chennai and Salem regions saw the closures of 82 each, while 84 were closed in the Tiruchi region.It is learnt that in several locations, Tasmac outlets were shut along with the bars attached to them. A source in Tasmac said an initial list of shops identified for closure underwent further review, following which a revised list was drawn up. “The earlier list was prepared without a detailed assessment and even included shops located inside malls. The team subsequently carried out a comprehensive analysis and drew up a revised list,” he added. The outlets included in the final list have now been closed.According to detailed data shared by K. Vignesh, Minister for Prohibition and Excise, the closure drive had displaced 3,474 shop personnel, including supervisors, salesmen, and assistant salesmen. Of these, 2,331 have already been redeployed to nearby shops, while the remaining will be allocated to shops in the coming days.Tasmac, the cash cow of the Tamil Nadu government, generates around ₹150 crore a day through liquor sales across its outlets. Published - June 05, 2026 09:42 pm IST
