In separate statements, the CITU-affiliated Tasmac Uzhiyar Manila Sammelanam and the AITUC-affiliated Tamil Nadu Tasmac Workers Union welcomed the government’s move, saying it aligned with efforts to create a drug-free Tamil Nadu. However, both unions sought rehabilitation measures for workers and clarity on action against private liquor outlets operating in the same localities.

CITU-affiliated Tasmac Uzhiyar Manila Sammelanam general secretary K Thiruselvan said Tasmac operated 4,765 retail liquor shops across the State, apart from more than 1,000 private FL-2 licensed bars and recreation clubs engaged in liquor sales.

He alleged that Tasmac officials had prepared the closure list in haste without adequate field inspection and claimed that private FL-2 licensed bars functioning adjacent to or near the identified TASMAC outlets had not been taken into account. Closure of only TASMAC shops would merely divert customers to private liquor outlets and defeat the larger objective of the policy decision, he said.

Thiruselvan also expressed concern over the uncertainty faced by employees working in the shops identified for closure. Recalling that workers affected by earlier closures had been accommodated in permanent posts within TASMAC and the cooperative sector, he urged the government to provide alternative permanent employment in other departments to more than 3,000 affected workers.