Newly appointed Tamil Nadu Chief Minister C Joseph Vijay on Tuesday ordered the closure of 717 government-run liquor shops located within a 500-metre radius of places of worship, educational institutions and bus stops within two weeks.
Currently, the Tamil Nadu State Marketing Corporation (TASMAC) operates 4,765 liquor retail stores.
According to a statement, Vijay instructed officials to search and identify shops located within a 500-metre radius of places of worship, educational institutions and bus stops. On inspection, 717 stores were found operating within this range across the state.
Vijay ordered these establishments to be closed within two weeks.
The statement said that out of the total 717 liquor stores scheduled to be closed, there were 276 stores near places of worship, 186 stores near educational institutions, and 255 stores near bus stops.
This comes after Vijay’s channel Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) in its statement promised to make Tamil Nadu drug-free.
