Pondy orders liquor shops to shut till April 30

Deputy Excise Commissioner T Sudhakar said that the Excise Department will close down and seal all shops which defy the order. The administration had earlier permitted opening of wholesale outlets till 2 p pm everyday while directing retail shops to shut down. However, after COVID cases surged, the administration has called upon all outlets to down their shutters till April 30.

Meanwhile, the State government, on Tuesday, clarified that shops with more than 3,000 square feet are big format stores and are not permitted to function during the lockdown. A GO was issued in which it was said that after the restrictions on opening big format stores were issued, Collectors had the confusion on big format stores. Following the confusion, Chief Secretary Rajeev Ranjan, in the order, stated that shops with 3,000 square feet and above shall be considered big format stores under the Disaster Management Act.