Chennai: Tamil Nadu Prohibition and Excise Minister Vignesh on Monday announced in the Assembly that strict action will be taken against TASMAC staff if liquor is sold above the maximum retail price (MRP). He said even a Re 1 overcharge would trigger disciplinary proceedings, with repeat violations leading to permanent dismissal.
Replying to the debate on the department’s grant demands, the minister said employees found collecting extra money would first be suspended for three months. If the same employee repeats the offence, they would be removed from service permanently. He added that the government is firm that corruption should not exist in any department, whether the money is taken from consumers or due to the state.
As part of measures aimed at preventing overcharging and improving staff welfare, the minister announced a pay revision for long-serving TASMAC employees from September 1. He said wages that began at Rs 2,000 per month have reached Rs 14,000 after 23 years, and revised pay would be set at Rs 33,023 for supervisors, Rs 30,284 for salespersons and Rs 28,689 for assistant salespersons, at an annual cost of Rs 486.90 crore to the government.
He also announced a festival advance of Rs 20,000 for TASMAC staff, and Rs 6,000 annually towards cloth and stitching for three uniforms. For cleanliness and basic facilities at outlets, monthly allocations were set at Rs 5,000 for corporation-area shops, Rs 4,000 for municipal and town panchayat shops, and Rs 3,000 for rural shops.
On staffing and enforcement, the minister said an eight-hour shift system, one weekly holiday and two days of paid casual leave per month would be provided. He added that 250 eligible persons would be appointed as junior assistants through a special examination, rehabilitation assistance for reformed illicit liquor offenders would be raised from Rs 50,000 to Rs 1 lakh with Rs 10 crore earmarked, and the enforcement wing would receive modern equipment and new vehicles at a cost of Rs 2.58 crore. Funds for awareness campaigns on the harms of alcohol and drugs would be doubled from Rs 5 crore to Rs 10 crore, with an additional Rs 2 crore for social-media outreach, and a strong methanol-use policy would be framed to eradicate illicit liquor in the state.
