Tamil Nadu CM Vijay ordered the closure of 717 TASMAC liquor shops near schools, colleges, and religious places. The move was widely welcomed by MMK and TVK leaders, who praised it as a step for women's welfare and a move towards prohibition.
Manithaneya Makkal Katchi (MMK) MLA MH Jawahirullah welcomed the newly elected Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Vijay's decision to close 717 TASMAC liquor shops located near schools, colleges, religious places and bus stands across the state. MH Jawahirullah hoped that the government would impose a total prohibition on the consumption of alcohol. "I welcome the order. It is the right decision. We hope total prohibition will also come in Tamil Nadu. We have to think about the next generation. Our party's stand is that all TASMAC shops and other liquor shops in the state should be closed," he told ANI.
Political leaders praise decision
Earlier, Tamil Nadu Minister and TVK leader Selvi S Keerthana also welcomed the decision and said women across the state were celebrating the announcement. "This is what the women had expected. On the second day itself, we implemented it. The women are celebrating this announcement," Keerthana said.
Separately, TVK MLA Vijay Saravanan termed the move a major step taken to keep women's welfare in mind. "Today's Assembly session went very well and was healthy. The order to close more than 700 TASMAC shops near schools and colleges is a great act by our Chief Minister Vijay, thinking about women's welfare. Surely, the Chief Minister will stand with the people and fulfil all the needs of the state," Saravanan said.
Govt order details closure of 717 shops
In one of the biggest early governance decisions of the TVK government, Chief Minister Vijay directed officials to shut down TASMAC liquor retail outlets functioning within a 500-metre radius of places of worship, educational institutions and bus stations within two weeks.
According to an official release, the TASMAC currently operates 4,765 liquor shops across the state, of which 717 were found violating the specified distance norms according to a survey ordered by the Chief Minister. The government said the closures include 276 outlets near places of worship, 186 near educational institutions and 255 near bus stands.
The decision is significant because TASMAC remains one of Tamil Nadu's biggest revenue-generating systems, even as demands for liquor shop closures have echoed across party lines for years "With the welfare of the general public in mind, the Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu, C Joseph Vijay, has issued orders to close within two weeks 717 retail liquor shops situated within a 500-metre radius of places of worship, educational institutions and bus stands," the government release stated. (ANI)
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