CHENNAI: Strict disciplinary action would be taken against liquor shop employees found selling alcohol above the maximum retail price (MRP), warned the Tamil Nadu State Marketing Corporation (Tasmac), amid continuing complaints of overpricing at retail outlets across the State.
The circular issued on Thursday comes amid continuing complaints over Tasmac outlets charging customers above the MRP even after the TVK government assumed office. Overpricing of liquor was taken up by opposition parties, including TVK, to target the then ruling DMK government during the Assembly election campaign.
In the circular, the corporation said complaints regarding liquor being sold above the prescribed price continued to reach its headquarters from various districts.
The employees involved in overpricing, including salesmen and assistant supervisors, would face severe disciplinary action for “dereliction of duty”, misconduct and other irregularities, warned the State-run liquor retail corporation.
It also cautioned district managers that action would be initiated against them in the event of failure to prevent such practices. Senior regional managers, district managers and special flying squad officials have been instructed to strictly enforce monitoring measures and act against violations without fail.
As part of the enforcement drive, Flying Squad Deputy Collectors in all regions have been directed to inspect liquor retail outlets based on complaints received and initiate appropriate action against erring shop staff.
Such is the widespread discontent over employees over charging customers that TVK president C Joseph Vijay had targeted senior DMK leader V Senthilbalaji, who handled the Excise and Prohibition Department in the previous regime, at a political rally in Karur in September 2025, repeatedly raising the slogan, “bottle-ku pathu rooba”, accusing the previous administration of allowing Tasmac outlets to collect Rs 10 extra per bottle from customers.
The issue found resonance with scores of people, prompting Deepak Sivakumar, a Chennai-based IT professional, to launch a public reporting platform to crowdsource complaints of overcharging at Tasmac outlets across the State.
The platform, named “Tasmac Scam Watch”, allows users to submit complaints against specific shops by selecting the district, area and shop number, and entering the amount collected above the printed MRP. Users can also upload photographs of bottles, payment screenshots, bills and videos as proof.
According to him, the platform has so far received 172 complaints from across the State, including 32 from Chennai.