When the Tamil Nadu government announced that it would re-opening the TASMAC liquor shops across the state apart from Chennai amid combating the COVID-19 spread, it ran into a massive outrage and criticism. However, it moved to the Supreme court to fill its coffin and ensured that the tipplers no longer have to wait, and in return, the tipplers are reportedly paying more than the Maximum Retail Price (MRP) of the liquor. 

The revelation of overcharging the customers has come when the state government, which enjoys a monopoly market in liquor sales in the state through the Tamil Nadu State Marketing Corporation (TASMAC), maintained in the Madras High Court that it was not charging exorbitantly over the MRP from the customers. 

However, the development of over-charging has come when the TASMAC shops have become the only major revenue channel for the government to fill its coffin amid the lockdown and COVID-19 spread. According to the reports, the TASMAC outlets in the outskirts of Chennai - Kancheepuram, Tiruvallur, and Chengalpattu districts, have been charging between Rs 50 and Rs 200 per 750 ml bottle of the Indian Made Foreign Liquor (IMFL) exorbitantly over the MRP of the quantity. 

However, the over-charging hasn't shocked the tipplers as the queue for several hours and the hurried sales and bulk purchases of the customers have left the overcharging go unchecked. The reports say that since the TASMAC outlets in the limits of Chennai police have been ordered to shut down, about 220 outlets that sit on the neighboring districts of Kancheepuram, Tiruvallur, and Chengalpattu are meeting the demand of the city. 

As customers are thronged to buy liquors in bulk, the employees of the outlets tell the total amount and the customers pay the amount without asking a question on the exorbitant amount, the report adds. When the government has opened the TASMAC outlets in the second week of May, it was strongly criticized by the opposition parties and public as the resumption feared to cause a rapid spread of COVID-19 viral infection. However, the government approached the Supreme Court with the concern to fill its coffin. 

The court has permitted the resumption following which the outlets are reopened, apart from the areas that fall under the limits of Chennai police, in the first week of July and the outlets are allowed to function from 10 am to 8 pm.  

According to the reports, TASMAC currently operates 5,300 liquor outlets across the state, including its premium outlets 'Elite' - which brings to the state government around Rs 90 crore as revenue per day.  Since the resumption, the outlets have been banking crores and crores of revenue to the state government amid the peak of COVID-19 cases.