Chennai: The Managing Director of Tasmac has informed the Madras high court that a proposal would be submitted to the state government for appropriately amending the Tamil Nadu Prohibition Act and the Rules for enabling sealing of the illegal bars and also imposing punishment with fine.
R. Kirlosh Kumar, MD of Tasmac stated this in his report filed through K. Sathish Kumar, standing counsel for Tasmac, before a division bench comprising Justices S. Manikumar and Subramonium Prasad.
The report was filed in response to a petition filed by D. Prabakaran of Coimbatore district, which sought a direction to Home and Excise department to prevent and detect fraudulent acts in Tasmac in respect of issuing and collecting license fee from bars etc.
Appalled over the earlier report filed on behalf of the Tasmac that 3,326 FIRs were registered in connection with running illegal bars in the state, the Madras high court had on February 12 directed the Secretary, Home and Prohibition and Excise to close all the illegal bars immediately and report to the court.
When the case came up for hearing on Tuesday, Advocate general Vijay Narayan submitted that petty shops and mobile carts were selling mainly cooked foods, snacks items along with that they were selling plastic cups and water sachets, which were being used by the people to consume liquor. These places were not regular bars but shops.
However, Tasmac had classified them as illegal bars. Whenever, action has been initiated against these persons and FIR was filed. The Tasmac has identified and sealed 762 number of premises between January 2018 and December 2018 which were functioning as illegal bar.
Of the 762, in the case of 342 premises, the owner/lease of the premises have opened the sealed premises after remitting the fine amount in the Judicial Magistrate Court. Between February 13, 2019 and December 19, 2019, the officials have conducted frequent inspections and 99 premises which were used to run illegal bars were sealed, he added.
He said there was no specific Act or Rule provision for sealing of the premises in which illegal bars were functioning. They were being sealed during joint inspections conducted by Tasmac officials, excise officials and officials of Prohibition Enforcement Wing of Police department and an FIR was filed. This was being done to stop the public nuisance and with the intention of increasing revenue to government. A proposal would be submitted to the government for appropriately amending the Tamil Nadu Prohibition Act and the Rules for enabling sealing of the illegal bars and imposing punishment with fine, he added.
