It's best-fit New Year celebrations of TASMAC liquor outlets in Chennai and parts of Tamil Nadu after the outlets had bagged crores of revenue on the New Year's eve with thousands of tipplers thronging before the shops to welcome 2021 with their fashion on Thursday as the outlets in Chennai had recorded highest sales of liquor. 

The Tamil Nadu State Marketing Corporation Limited (TASMAC) has recorded a year-end sale of a whopping Rs 159 crore on New Year's Eve. According to the data released by the state-owned company, of the total statewide sale on Thursday, the TASMAC outlets in Chennai recorded the highest sales of Rs 48.75 crore and after Chennai, the major cities like Coimbatore, Trichy, Madurai, and Salem had recorded Rs 28.40 crore, Rs 28.10 crore, Rs 27.30 crore, and Rs 26.49 crore respectively, making the TASMAC to welcome the New Year with one of the richest sales.

The TASMAC outlets have been sending crores of money to the state's coffers amid the COVID-19 pandemic and state-owned entity has been the highest contributor to the state's total revenue. Amid the pandemic and restrictions, the TASMAC outlets had recorded more revenue than it had recorded in New Year's Eve 2019, before the emergence of the Novel Coronavirus. In 2019, the state had recorded sales worth Rs 150 crore in 2019 and in 2020, the TASMAC outlets had recorded sales of Rs 159 crore on New Year's Eve. 

In the wake of the COVID-19 viral infection, the Tamil Nadu government had closed the TASMAC outlets across the state in March 2020 and after the six weeks of closure, the outlets were re-opened on May 7, 2020, across the state apart from Chennai. After the resumption, the tipplers proved how desperate for the resumption of the outlets after the TASMAC outlets had recorded sales worth Rs 170 crore. On the other side, the outlets had witnessed how the tipplers had taken a break from the COVID-19 norms and protocols. 

The state government had caught up with the outrage and controversies over its decision to re-opening the TASMAC outlets amid the rapid spread of the pandemic. The opposition and the activists had flayed the ruling government and approached the High court to close the TASMAC outlets. However, the state government had launched a legal battle to go ahead with its decision to resume the outlets. 

After the High court had ordered to shut down the shops, the state government has appealed to the Supreme Court to challenge the High Court's order. The apex court had eventually permitted the state government to go with its decision and it also has directed the government to provide only one bottle of 750 ml liquor to each person at the counter. Amid the COVID-19 restrictions, the TASMAC had received Rs 170 crore profits by selling 20 lakh liters of alcohol. 

While revenue, on the one hand, the TASMAC had on the other hand suffered in managing and controlling the tipplers to ensure the grounds of COVID-19 norms and protocols to curb the spread. The TASMAC has now recorded the highest sales on New Year's Eve on Thursday with a total of Rs 159 crore with the major contribution from the outlets in Chennai.