Thoothukudi will see highest Tasmac closures of liquor shops near schools, places of worship

Tamil Nadu Chief Minister C. Joseph Vijay on Tuesday (May 12, 2026) ordered the closure of 717 Tasmac shops functioning within 500 metres of educational institutions and places of worship across the State. Among all districts, Thoothukudi is set to witness the highest number of shop closures. The pearl city, which falls under Madurai region, will wind up 63 shops.

The Madurai belt alone will account for the closure of 281 Tasmac outlets under the State-wide crackdown. Around 37 will close down in Virudhunagar and 33 in Tirunelveli.

Madurai South will see 32 closures, while Ramanathapuram will shut 29 shops and Dindigul, 26. Sivaganga and Kanniyakumari will each witness 18 closures, while Madurai North and Theni will see 13 and 12 shops shut, respectively.

Road safety risks

Employees working at Tasmac outlets in the Madurai region said the government must ensure adequate police deployment in these areas following the closures. They also pointed out that one of the major concerns is that people may now travel longer distances to consume alcohol and then drive back, posing serious road safety risks.

In Chennai region, 99 liquor outlets are marked for closure. Tiruvallur East accounts for the highest number of shutdowns at 29 shops, followed by Chennai North with 18 and Chennai Central with 15. Chennai South will see 14 closures, while Kancheepuram North and South will shut 12 and seven shops, respectively. Tiruvallur West has four outlets on the closure list.

The Coimbatore belt is set to witness the closure of 173 outlets. And of this, Coimbatore North accounts for the highest number of closures in the region with 48 shops, followed by Erode with 39 and Tirupur with 30. The Nilgiris will see 27 shops shut, while Coimbatore South has 21 outlets on the closure list. Karur will witness the least impact, with eight liquor shops set to close.

Around 80 outlets in the Salem region are set to close, with Salem and Tiruvannamalai topping the list at 20 shops each, followed by Namakkal with 14. Dharmapuri and Arakonam will see seven closures each, while Vellore and Krishnagiri have six shops each on the list.

A total of 84 Tasmac outlets will wind up in Tiruchi zone, with Cuddalore witnessing the highest number of closures at 21. Tiruchi and Pudukottai follow with 16 shops each, while Villupuram will see 11 closures. Thanjavur will close six shops. While Perambalur and Tiruvarur will close five each, Nagapattinam has four outlets on the closure list.

Impact on revenue

The Tamil Nadu State Marketing Corporation, popularly known as Tasmac, makes ₹150 crore each day through sale of liquor across its outlets in the State. Experts believe the closure of these outlets may not significantly impact overall revenues, as the estimated daily loss is around ₹23 crore and consumers are likely to shift to nearby Tasmac shops, helping offset much of the revenue dip. They also pointed out that there more such shops near schools and religious establishments, which the government has to close.