Chennai: Tasmac plans to float fresh tenders in the first week of Nov to issue licences for bars attached to its retail liquor outlets. Sources said the bids will be finalised in the same month, and the new licences are likely to take effect on Dec 1.The TVK govt has revamped bar operations and introduced new regulations. As per the new regulations, govt order now allows bars to be set up separately, up to 100m from the liquor shop. Draft tender conditions propose permission for full-fledged kitchens in bars, which were denied so far on fire-safety grounds.Of the 4,058 Tasmac liquor shops in Tamil Nadu, about 2,500 have attached bars. About 600 of these are in the Chennai region. When original licenses expired in Dec 2025, the then DMK govt extended them by six months, until June 30. The TVK govt then extended them twice, by two months each time. The latest extension ends on October 31, but Tasmac is likely to extend the licences again until new contracts are awarded, sources said. “All district managers have been told to compile the highest sales data for each shop in their jurisdiction. The upset price for each shop will be fixed on this basis,” an official said.Under the new conditions, the licence tenure will be three years, extendable up to five. Tasmac also plans a dynamic monthly fee linked to actual liquor sales at the attached shop. The new bars will need to comply strictly with FSSAI norms and maximum retail price (MRP) rules.Prohibition and excise minister K Vignesh defended the delay in floating the tender, saying the govt does not want to leave any loophole for bidders to exploit. “The new tender will not allow mass control of Tasmac bars, as was the case under previous govts,” he said.
