Illegal bars cause revenue loss of Rs 10 crore

CHENNAI: All that glitters is not gold and strangely, the adage suits the bars attached to the TASMAC liquor outlets operating in the neighbouring Tiruvallur district situated on the peripheries of Chennai. The state-owned Marketing Corporation has identified 76 bars in the district as illegal and urged the Prohibition Enforcement Wing (PEW) of the Police Department to act against the miscreants.“Another 25 bars have been served with notices for not paying the monthly premium, which can also be brought under the illegal bracket,” informed sources with TASMAC. “These bars, totalling 101, cause a revenue loss of a whopping `10 crore every year,” the sources added.Tiruvallur district has 370 liquor shops. Of these, a majority of those  attached with bars are located in the suburbs of Chennai. Ironically, illegal bars continue to thrive in Tiruvallur, despite the authorities cracking the whip on clandestine operations time and again.Sources in TASMAC detailed the process involved in identifying illegal bars. TASMAC officials in the capacity of  Statistical Officers (Area Supervisors) identify the illegal bars in their respective localities and send the compiled list to the District Manager. In turn, the District Manager or his superior, the Senior Regional Manager in TASMAC, lodges a complaint, along with a list of illegal bars to the PEW, requesting action against the illicit business.However, lack of swift action by PEW sleuths seems to be coming in the way of booking the violators. A TASMAC employee, who did not wish to be named, said, “In case of a complaint, cases would be filed against the workers employed in the illegal bars just for the sake of records. As there is no follow up by the police, owners of the illegal bars continue to indulge in the same business without any hurdles.”When contacted, PEW officials in Tiruvallur stressed that illegal bars were being  dealt with, severely. “There are no illegal bars as far as the Tiruvallur district police limits is concerned. TASMAC authorities have identified some petty shops around the wine outlets as illegal and we have acted against such shops also,” a police official, under condition of anonymity, stated.‘Government should takeover bars’On the other hand, P S Soundarapandian, State President, TASMAC Employees Union (AITUC), suggested that the takeover of bars by the government would resolve the menace. He said, “The outsourced bars must be manned by the government staff, which is the only practical solution to eradicate illegal bars from the state.”