Thalapathy orders closure of 717 liquor shops near religious and educational institutions

After coming to power in Tamil Nadu, India, Chief Minister Thalapathy Joseph Vijay has ordered the closure of 717 state-run liquor shops located within 500 meters of mosques, temples, educational institutions and bus stands in the state. He has ordered the closure and relocation of these shops run by the Tamil Nadu State Marketing Corporation (TASMAC) within the next two weeks. NDTV reported this news. This information was given in a government statement on Tuesday (May 12) morning.
The statement said that currently there are a total of 4,765 liquor shops run by TASMAC in the state. Out of these, 276 are located near places of worship, 186 near educational institutions and 255 near bus stands. Considering the welfare of the common people, Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Thalapathy has ordered the closure of 717 retail liquor shops located within 500 meters of places of worship, educational institutions and bus stands within the next two weeks. The statement added that despite TASMAC’s huge revenue, the decision reflects a long-standing demand from various political parties. The agency’s total revenue in 2025 was over Rs 48,000 crore.
This is the first major decision by superstar actor and ruling party Tamilaga Vetri Kazhagam (TVK) chief Vijay Kumar after its victory in the assembly elections. However, analysts believe that the decision could put the government under financial strain.