TASMAC employees shut shops opposing empty bottle buy-back scheme in Erode

On the day the empty liquor bottle buy-back scheme was rolled out across Erode district, it drew stiff opposition from the Tamil Nadu Government TASMAC Employees’ Union (TNGTEU), which shut down shops and staged a protest near the General Manager’s office on Bhavani Road on Wednesday (December 3, 2025).

District Collector S. Kandasamy said in a release that following the Madras High Court’s directions, the scheme was extended district-wide from Wednesday. Of the 182 TASMAC shops in the district, the scheme was in force at three hill-area outlets. Under the initiative, customers must pay an additional ₹10 over the maximum retail price for each liquor bottle, and those returning the empty bottles, bearing a sticker with the shop number and “EC ₹10”, to the same outlet will receive the refund.

TASMAC employees, who had boycotted training sessions on the scheme, intensified their protest by downing shutters at 179 shops and demanding that the plan be withdrawn. They laid siege to the General Manager’s office, raised slogans and attempted to return the stickers issued for the scheme. Officials of the district TASMAC management told the employees that they were only implementing the court’s order and asked them to reopen the outlets. All the outlets were opened at 2 p.m. on Wednesday.