Chennai: Thousands of liquor buyers went hunting for open outlets as nearly 40% of shops across Chennai and neighbouring districts remained shut on the second day of the Tasmac workers’ protest. Shops that opened downed their shutters within hours.The problem started after employees closed shop on Sunday, defying the management’s orders to implement the empty bottle collection scheme and restrict cash payments exceeding ₹1,000 from Nov 1. Many workers continued to hold govt to ransom on Tuesday as only 556 of the 900 Tasmac outlets in Chennai, Chengalpet, Kancheepuram and Tiruvallur were open on Tuesday. Across the state, 650 shops out of 4,000 remained closed.Liquor buyers complained that several outlets shut abruptly without explanation, even as customers waited in queues.Shop No. 733 in T Nagar, which was open around 4.30pm, closed by 6pm. The imported liquor outlet No. 619 — which opened in the afternoon — too was shut by 6pm. Customers shouted at the downed shutters, but got no response from workers inside the shops.A worker said the CITU-affiliated union had asked them to shut the outlet. With large crowds at the few operational shops, Tasmac-attached bars cashed in on the situation, allegedly overcharging customers desperate to buy liquor.“An 180ml bottle that costs ₹140 was sold for ₹200 at Singaram Bar on Dr B Narasimhan Road, T Nagar. We had to pay extra to avoid the queue of nearly 200 people,” said Manikandan, a painter who managed to buy four 180ml bottles.Prohibition and excise minister K Vignesh said on Tuesday that Tasmac would recruit new personnel to run the outlets if existing employees did not return to work. He alleged that a group was working behind the scenes to undermine the reforms introduced in Tasmac over the past few months.Tasmac suspended a total of 164 employees for failing to open shops on Monday and Tuesday. A total of 1,729 memos were issued. “The number will definitely increase. These reforms are a govt policy decision, and anyone trying to challenge the initiatives cannot escape penal action. Tasmac will recruit new personnel in place of those suspended, and the process is under way,” the minister said.Meanwhile, Tasmac’s overall sales on Monday were down 50% compared with Nov 1, 2025. Beer sales fell 55%, from 77,032l on the same day last year to 34,207l on Monday. Sales of Indian-made foreign liquor (IMFL) halved, dropping from 18 lakh litres to nine lakh litres.The decline in sales translated into a 50% drop in revenue for the state govt. Chennai central and Chennai north Tasmac districts reported zero sales on Monday, resulting in a complete loss of revenue from the two districts for the day.
