436 out of 717 Tasmac branches were closed on May 23: Prohibition Minister

Prohibition and Excise Minister K. Vignesh chairing a review meeting on closure of 717 Tasmac branches in Chennai on Saturday. | Photo credit: Special arrangement

Reacting to PMK leader Anbumani Ramdoss’s claim that only 150 of the 717 Tasmac branches ordered to be closed by Chief Minister C. Joseph Vijay have actually been closed, Prohibition and Excise Minister K. Vignesh said on Saturday that 436 Tasmac branches had been closed as of Saturday (20263).

He held a review meeting in Chennai on the closure of Tasmac outlets within 500 meters of places of worship, educational institutions and bus stands. According to the official report, 436 Tasmac outlets and their attached bars have been closed so far. The minister also directed the officials to take swift action to close the remaining outlets.

To ensure the welfare of the employees of the stores that were closed, Mr. Vignesh instructed officials to transfer them to nearby Tasmac outlets, the report said. The minister further directed officials to ensure that all Tasmac outlets and attached bars are closed by 10 pm and to take appropriate action against sellers of overpriced liquor.

Anbumani’s claim

Dr. Earlier in a statement, Anbumani claimed that only 150 Tasmac stores out of 717 ordered to be closed have been closed and urged officials to implement the Government Order (GO) immediately.

He alleged that Tasmac officials were acting against the spirit of the GO by seeking further verification that the shops fall within the prohibited 500m radius. He added that the shops had already been identified after due verification and urged the officials not to delay the implementation.

Published – 23 May 2026 19:08 IST