Probe ordered to study if Tasmac sales jumped over 30% after announcement of poll date

CHENNAI: In an effort to restrict the free flow of liquor ahead of the Lok Sabha polls, the Election Commission is said to have sought flying squads to collect details of Tasmac liquor shops which have witnessed a 30% hike in sales after the announcement of election dates.

This comes after Tasmac shops were restricted from bulk selling of liquor and barred from selling more than 3 250 ml bottles to a single buyer. The flying squads have now been asked to check its implementation by verifying the sales details of the government-controlled liquor shops.

Election officials say this is an effort to conduct peaceful polls as the sale of liquor is closely linked with anti-social activities, which they suspect might lead to poll-time violence and related incidents.

This move comes after it was reported that many Tasmac shops have hoarded huge storage of liquors, especially in Ayanavaram which comes under Chennai Central constituency. The flying squads have been asked to check the sales data of the last two weeks with that of the previous two weeks before the declaration of election dates, to find whether any shop had violated the rules framed by the EC.