Watch your drink at the TASMAC! It could be fake

CHENNAI: The industry specific analysis of the Associated Chambers of Commerce and Industry of India (ASSOCHAM) has estimated the sale of counterfeit liquor to be between 15 and 20 per cent in the country. So, where does Chennai stand?Investigations by City Express into the clandestine network has revealed that the city is not a holy cow when it comes to illicit liquor, with bottles of counterfeit booze flowing like water in TASMAC bars.Informed sources with the marketing corporation undertaken by the government charged that low priced Indian Made Foreign Liquor (IMFL) bottles were being smuggled from Puducherry and Andhra Pradesh for the purpose.“A full bottle (750 ml), which costs anywhere between `100 and `120 in the neighbouring Union Territory, is repackaged into four quarter bottles, each with a quantity of (180 ml). This is done in illicit bottling units functioning from rented buildings in Kanchipuram and Tiruvallur districts, bordering Chennai,” a TASMAC employee claimed.“The culprits cover the bottles with labels of popular brands and route it through the TASMAC bars. Nexus between bar owners and those into the illicit bottling units is a key for marketing counterfeit liquor bottles,” the employee claimed, while  underlining that consumers seated in bars would not be able to identify the authenticity of the liquor served to them across the counter.Substantiating the argument, sources also cited the busting of illicit bottling units in suburban areas such as Maduravoyal, Seneerkuppam, Tirumulaivoyal, Tirumazhisai and Tiruthani in the recent past. “The average profit for a smuggled bottle is `25. With this figure, one can image the volume of profits that the illegal business would generate for the law violators manufacturing tens of thousands of counterfeit bottles,” sources added. The city has 440 wine shops, of which over 400 have bars attached to them. In its report, ASSOCHAM also pointed out at the enormous tax loss to the State governments and tarnishing of the brand reputation of the manufacturers caused by the menace of counterfeits. However, the Prohibition Enforcement Wing of the police department stated that stringent action is being taken against the illicit and counterfeit liquor manufacturers. “We busted a few such illicit bottling units in Villupuram and Gingee areas that were supplying counterfeit liquor for Chennai. They were smuggling IMFL from Puducherry,” a police officer in one of these districts said