PMK Leader Anbumani Ramadoss Seeks Closure of Tamil Nadu Liquor Shops Within Three Years

Ramadoss argued that the social and economic consequences associated with alcohol consumption outweigh the revenue generated by liquor sales. He said the government should consider the wider costs of alcohol-related harm while framing its policy.

In his statement, Ramadoss claimed that Tamil Nadu collected around Rs 60,000 crore annually from the liquor trade. However, he argued that the economic losses linked to alcohol consumption were substantially higher than the revenue earned by the government.

He also cited figures claiming that the state recorded around 1.10 lakh more male deaths than female deaths last year. Ramadoss attributed a significant share of the difference to factors associated with alcohol consumption, although his statement did not provide the source of the figures or a detailed breakdown of the causes of death.

According to Ramadoss, alcohol addiction is linked to several serious consequences, including road accidents, suicides, heart-related illnesses and kidney failure. He said these costs should be included in any assessment of the impact of the state's liquor trade.

As part of his proposed phased approach, Ramadoss called for 1,000 liquor outlets to be closed each year, with all shops eventually shut within three years. His statement did not provide further details on how the proposed annual closure figure would translate into complete closure within the stated timeframe.

In a separate statement, the PMK leader also raised concerns over the law and order situation in Tamil Nadu following a series of recent killings.

Ramadoss referred to a double murder reported in Tirunelveli and the killing of a young man in Chennai in front of his family. He questioned the direction of the state's law and order situation and raised concerns over public safety following the incidents.

His comments on liquor policy and law and order were made separately. While Ramadoss cited alcohol consumption as a factor behind several health and social consequences in his demand for closure of liquor outlets, he did not establish a connection between alcohol and the specific killings mentioned in his criticism of the state's law and order situation.