Licences expire, Tasmac orders bars shut until July 6 meet; assigns seeks 3-month extension

CHENNAI: The fate of bars attached to TASMAC liquor outlets will be decided at the Tamil Nadu State Marketing Corporation (TASMAC) Board meeting scheduled for July 6, with bar owners seeking a three-month extension to continue operations until fresh licences are awarded.

Meanwhile, many TASMAC bars which were found closed on Thursday afternoon started functioning in the evening.

However, authorities shuttered them later in the evening and directed them to remain closed until a decision is made at the board meeting.

Though the bar licences granted in 2024 during the previous DMK regime for a two-year period expired on June 30, fresh tenders could not be floated due to the Assembly elections and the enforcement of the Model Code of Conduct.

Following the formation of the Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) government, TASMAC initiated the process of inviting fresh tenders for bars attached to it.

Meanwhile, the TASMAC Bar Owners' Association has submitted a representation requesting the corporation to allow existing operators to continue for another three months until the new tender process is completed.

"At least 100 people are directly or indirectly employed in each bar. Closing the bars without sufficient notice and without providing time for the fresh tender process would cause heavy financial losses to operators and leave many workers without jobs,” said Anbuselvan, president of the TASMAC Bar Owners' Association.

A senior TASMAC official said the board would make a final decision on the association's request at its meeting on July 6 and added that until then bars should remain closed.

TASMAC operates around 4,100 retail outlets across Tamil Nadu, of which around 2,400 have bars attached to them run by private licensees. These bars primarily sell snacks and beverages to customers purchasing liquor from TASMAC outlets.

Officials said these bars generate an annual revenue of around Rs 130 crore for TASMAC.