Chennai: The Tamil Nadu government has amended the Tamil Nadu State Marketing Corporation (Tasmac) liquor vending rules, allowing Tasmac bars to operate within a 100-metre radius of retail liquor shops instead of being mandatorily attached to the outlets. The move is expected to attract more bidders in bar tenders and reduce the long-standing dominance of a few contractors.
According to a Government Order (G.O.) issued by the State government, the revised rules provide greater flexibility in locating Tasmac bars while maintaining proximity to retail liquor outlets. Officials said the decision is intended to widen participation in the tender process and create a more competitive and transparent system for awarding bar contracts.
The government has also revised the minimum space requirement for Tasmac bars. Under the new rules, bars must have a minimum area of 20 square metres (approximately 215 sq ft), up from the earlier requirement of 15 square metres.
However, employees working at Tasmac bars believe the revised space norm is still insufficient. They said many bars continue to face overcrowding and lack adequate room for safe evacuation during emergencies. Workers urged the government to consider increasing the minimum floor area further to improve customer safety and overall operating conditions.
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Tasmac remains one of Tamil Nadu’s largest sources of revenue. The state-run corporation currently operates 4,048 retail liquor outlets across the state and generates approximately ₹150 crore in liquor sales every day through its extensive retail network.
The latest policy change is expected to provide greater operational flexibility for bar licensees while encouraging broader participation in future Tasmac bar tenders.
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