44% people prefer drinking in vehicles; illegal sale of liquor still rampant in Chennai

Illegal sale of liquor beyond the permissible hours in Tamil Nadu is still prevalent, with 44 per cent of the consumers preferring to drink in cars and vehicle-parking areas in Chennai, findings of a study that were released on Thursday (January 23) noted.

The study was conducted by a research firm KANTAR and NFX Digital across seven regions, including Chennai, in the country with a total sample size of 3,000.

The officials of the International Spirits and Wines Association of India (ISWAI), quoting the study here, said 79 per cent of the people responded saying that illegal sale of liquor after permissible hours and during dry days was prevalent.

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“The study states 48 per cent of the consumers prefer to drink out of home in the city, with 44 per cent drinking in cars, car-parking areas and 10 per cent drink in public places,” ISWAI executive chairman Amrit Kiran Singh said.

Some of the other issues faced by the industry were the price variations of liquor across outlets and non-availability of desired brands. Nearly four out of five consumers have highlighted the unavailability of desired brands while seven out of 10 respondents have witnessed price variations, they said.

A significant proportion of consumers has acknowledged paying extra or using their contacts to purchase desire brands.

The study also revealed that many youngsters in Chennai were drinking illegally following regulatory restrictions.

Liquor outlets are open from noon to 10 pm in Tamil Nadu.

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The officials of ISWAI and the National Restaurant Association of India, referring to the findings of the study, have knocked at the door of the Tamil Nadu government to curb irresponsible drinking.

The officials presented the study to Additional Chief Secretary S K Prabakar and Tamil Nadu State Marketing Corporation Ltd managing director R Kirlosh Kumar. “With the issue of unavailability of preferred brands being a key issue in Chennai, we call for your attention to more brands being made available through the TASMAC eco system”, ISWAI officials said in a press release.

The officials also suggested that drinking in cars and vehicle parking areas may be curbed by more liberal licensing framework including bar licences for fine dine standalone restaurants similar to those norms followed in metros.