Chennai

Tamil Nadu Chief Minister C Joseph Vijay on Tuesday ordered the closure of 717 retail liquor outlets, including 276 shops near places of worship across the state.

Considering the welfare of the public, Vijay issued orders to shut down the retail liquor outlets, an official release said.

Accordingly, 276 outlets near places of worship, 186 shops near educational institutions, and 255 outlets near bus stands will be closed within the next two weeks, it said.

There has been widespread demand, especially from women and a few political parties in the state, that all the liquor shops in the state should be closed.

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The Tamil Nadu State Marketing Corporation (Tasmac) operates 4,765 retail liquor outlets across the state.