A total of Rs 210 crore was earned in liquor sales on the evening before Sunday curfew, on Saturday, January 8, by the Tamil Nadu State Marketing Corporation (TASMAC). All TASMAC shops were closed on Sunday, January 9, as part of restrictions introduced by the state government, in view of the surge of COVID-19 cases in Tamil Nadu.
According to a statement released by TASMAC, Chennai and it’s three adjoining districts, namely Kancheepuram, Chengalpattu and Tiruvallur had accounted for about 25% of the total liquor sales on Saturday, January 8. TASMAC is divided into five zones — Chennai, Coimbatore, Madurai, Trichy and Salem.
A total lockdown was in force in Tamil Nadu on Sunday, January 9, and people were allowed to move out only for essential services and in emergency situations, including health emergencies. Heavy police deployment was made across the state and areas along the borders of Kerala, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, and Puducherry were monitored.
Meanwhile, AIADMK Chief Coordinator and former Tamil Nadu Chief Minister, O Panneerselvam (OPS) lashed out against the DMK, condemning the stand taken by Chief Minister MK Stalin regarding the TASMAC shops. He demanded that the TASMAC shops must be shut down till the COVID-19 situation becomes normal in the state.
Citing that the Chief Minister MK Stalin had staged a protest, when he was the Leader of Opposition on May 7, 2020, demanding that the shops be shut down when COVID-19 cases were only 580, Paneerselvam said that after he had become the CM, he announced, on June 14, 2021, that all the liquor shops would continue to function from 10 am to 5 pm when the total number of cases were 12,772.
He stated that the present Test Positivity Rate (TPR) is 8% and the liquor outlets must be closed at least till the TPR comes down to 5%. In his statement on Sunday, he further said, "Within three days, the number of COVID-19 cases have doubled. The state government allowing these shops to function is a reason behind this rise in cases."