Chennai: Tamil Nadu will soon have stand-alone Tasmac bars.The state govt has amended the Tamil Nadu Liquor Retail Vending (in Shops and Bars) Rules, 2003, paving way for new operators to run Tasmac bars, ending the 23-year-old bar owners cartel, improving bar ambience with regulated food service, and boosting government revenue.One of the key amendments relaxes the location criteria for Tasmac bars. While the rules earlier required a bar to be located “within the shop or adjoining the shop”, the amended provision allows it to be set up either adjoining the shop or within a 100m radius. The amendment, published in the state gazette, is expected to widen participation in the bar tender due next month by allowing bidders to propose any eligible premises within 100m of a Tasmac outlet, provided it is at least 500m away from schools and places of worship.
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Of the 4,048 liquor shops in the state (after the govt closed 717 shops), 2,638 have a bar attached. They bring in a govt revenue of about ₹130 crore per year by way of licence fee. Chennai region has about 600 Tasmac-attached bars.Under the existing rules, bidders must produce a no-objection certificate (NOC) from the landlord of the proposed bar premises, effectively restricting participation to a single bidder in most cases and keeping licence fees low. In the previous tender, the licence fee was fixed at 1.8% of the average daily sales of the attached Tasmac outlet in corporations and municipalities. In town panchayats, it was 1.6%, and for panchayats, 1.4%.The previous government had attempted to scrap the NOC requirement to encourage competition and increase revenue, but the move was stayed after bar owners successfully challenged it in court. Officials said the latest amendment is expected to overcome that hurdle by widening the pool of eligible bidders for the bar tender scheduled next month.“Whoever bids with more licence fee will win the tender and can set up the bar as long as he/she submits no objection certificate of the landlord of the proposed bar premises. Once the bar is set up, the liquor shop too can shift to the new premises,” said an official.According to the amendments, the minimum size of a Tasmac bar should be 20sqm (earlier it was 15sqm). They also have reduced the district collector’s role in deciding the size of the bar. Tasmac Bar and Building Owners’ Association president Anbarasan said it is not clear how a liquor shop and bar can function at different places.“Will people buy at one place and drink at another? Won’t it become a public nuisance? We are already losing out on revenue as the empty bottle collection has been handed over to the distilleries themselves. We are planning to meet the Tasmac managing director to seek clarity on the issue,” he said.Another bar owner said the move would lead to sale of illicit liquor or bottles smuggled in from other states at the bars.
