Get NOCs for bars from bldg owners, MHC tells Tasmac

CHENNAI: Observing that liquor prohibition, as of date, is not a reality, the Madras High Court directed the Tamil Nadu State Marketing Corporation (Tasmac) to strictly obtain the No-Objection Certification from the building owners to run the bars attached to its outlets.

Justice Anita Sumanth passed the slew of directions on allowing a batch of writ petitions challenging the tender notification dated August 2. The petitioners prayed for a direction to quash the notification insofar as Clause 8 of the tender condition which provides for the grant of licence to the highest bidder without insisting on getting an NOC from the owner of the premises.

The petitioner further pleaded to restrain the respondents from conducting the tender without issuing tender forms to all the intending bidders in physical forms with the entry pass and the tender submission envelope. On hearing the submissions, the judge quashed the tender notification as Clauses 1 to 6 of the Tender Notification 2014 are arbitrary.

“Tasmac should negotiate the consent from the landowner to manage the bar and collect bottles/sell eatables...nothing further needs to be said about this condition, that would have to go. All that remains are for the applicants to then obtain no objection/consent of the owner to enter into the premises for the management of the bar, collection of bottles, and sale of eatables. This would substantially mitigate, if not obviate, the confusion and the resultant uncertainty in the finalization of the tenders,” the judge held.

The HC also directed Tasmac to install CCTV cameras in Tasmac shops. “CCTV cameras shall be set up in all the Tasmac outlets and it shall be ensured that the cameras are functional at all times. It shall be ensured that the events of the batch tender opening day are videographed, as a matter of routine. Instructions shall be issued to enable the same,” it said.