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Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) state president K Annamalai submitted a white paper to Governor RN Ravi regarding reducing the number of liquor outlets in the state as he had stated in the aftermath of the recent hooch tragedy in Chengalpattu and Villupuram districts, in which over 20 people lost their lives.
He had then stated that out of the 5400 existing shops, around 80 per cent could be shut down over a period of 3 years and alternatives could be found to manage the state’s revenue.
Regarding the extent of the problem of spurious liquor, he wrote in the white paper, “The fact that TASMAC has been unable to curb clandestine production of hooch and illicit liquor is brought out by the statement of the Former Tamil Nadu DGP Thiru Sylendra Babu, that 1,40,649 cases were registered in connection with spurious liquor in 2022 alone in Tamil Nadu.”
The white paper targets a 75 per cent reduction in alcohol manufacturing and distribution over three years and calls for phased prohibition.
Some of the measures suggested on the supply side are-
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limiting the quantity of liquor purchased by TASMAC over time
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closure of bars
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restricting the number of hours for sale
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indirect mechanisms like licensing restrictions, production quotas, and tax adjustments
On the demand side, the important suggestions are creating increased public awareness and rehabilitation of alcoholics.
It also lists some ‘immediate actionables’, which are as follows-
1. Declaring 45 days during the holy Tamil months of Karthigai and Margazhi as dry days,
2. Reducing the operational hours of TASMAC outlets to 2.00PM to 7.00PM,
3. Ensuring availability of light liquor such as 46 listed brands of beer, vis-a-vis, the more harmful hard liquor;
4. Providing a Customer Identification Number (CIN) that enables monitoring of drinking patterns and identifying the most vulnerable groups that would serve as data to plan out the rehabilitation programmes
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