Will Tamil Nadu follow Kerala’s model of prohibition?

With the Supreme Court upholding the Kerala government ban on liquor except in star hotels in that State, tipplers in Tamil Nadu wonder if the state will follow suit. With the state government yet to react to demands from the public and political parties demanding implementation of prohibition, the question is when and how prohibition will be enforced.  

The sentiment holds weight as state polls are just round the corner. Parties have jumped onto the prohibition bandwagon with the PMK being the first to state they would implement prohibition if voted to power. The DMK too chipped in later with the same refrain. All this, despite the lifting of prohibition, though former chief minister Rajaji personally requested DMK president Karunanidhi not to do so in 1971. 

A similar claim from the BJP was made when Union Minister of State for Surface Transport Pon. Radhakrishnan said in Kanyakumari recently that prohibition would be the first order the NDA government would sign if voted to power in Tamil Nadu. 

While the death of Sasi Perumal, the Gandhian, who was a staunch supporter of prohibition raised the stakes in the issue, the question remains how the government will compensate for the loss of revenue, if prohibition were to be implemented. The revenues of TASMAC (TN State Marketing Corporation) from the sale of liquor through 41 depots and 33 district manager’s offices, have seen an approximate 20 per cent increase annually touching Rs. 26,188 crore in 2014-15.  

AIADMK has its work cut out as ladies have furiously opposed liquor shops near schools and places of worship. Instances of students walking in inebriated to schools had become a matter of concern over the past few months. 

TASMAC’s turnover of Rs.183 crore in 1983 crossed the Rs. 10,000 crore in 200809, when revenue touched Rs.10, 601.5 crore. It was Rs. 12,491 crore and Rs.14, 965 crore in 2009-10 and 2010-11, respectively. Besides tax revenue, TASMAC generates additional revenue through selling bar licences for retail outlets. Sources attribute the constant growth in revenue to periodical rise in price and increased consumption.