Tasmac Revives Empty Liquor Bottle Buy-Back in Chennai After Protests

Officials said the decision follows a review of earlier operational challenges and is aimed at ensuring smoother execution this time.

The scheme had been suspended in the city after Tasmac workers shut down liquor shops and staged protests at depots, citing inadequate facilities and increased workload.

The Madras High Court has since directed Tasmac to file a status report on the matter by the end of February. Even as the court proceedings continue, Tasmac officials indicated that they plan to complete the rollout before the second week of February.

A senior Tasmac official said that lessons had been learned from the previous attempt to introduce the scheme in Chennai. "Earlier, we tried to implement it simultaneously across North, Central and South Chennai, which led to confusion and operational difficulties. This time, we will follow a phased approach and cover all three districts within a week," the official said.

Under the buy-back scheme, customers are charged an additional Rs 10 for every liquor bottle purchased. This amount is reimbursed when the empty bottle is returned to designated Tasmac outlets or collection points. The scheme has already been implemented across the rest of Tamil Nadu.

The initiative was originally introduced in hill stations, where discarded liquor bottles posed a serious threat to wildlife, particularly elephants and other animals that risk injury from stepping on broken glass.

Encouraged by its environmental benefits, the state government later extended the scheme to all districts. However, opposition from workers remains strong.

Employees argue that the existing workforce is already overstretched and lacks the infrastructure to handle the collection, storage, and transport of empty bottles. They have demanded that a separate agency be engaged exclusively to manage the buy-back process.

Dhanasekaran, general secretary of the AICTE-affiliated Tasmac workers' union, said there had been no change in the union's stand. "Our demands remain the same. It is not practically possible to implement this scheme using the current staff strength. Without a dedicated agency and proper facilities, the burden will only increase," he said.

Despite the objections, Tasmac officials maintain that the phased rollout will help address initial bottlenecks. Whether the renewed implementation can balance environmental objectives with workers' concerns remains to be seen as the scheme returns to Chennai this week.

- IANS