The Tamil Nadu Government has allowed five star hotels in Chennai and Tiruchi to serve liquor round the clock. It also extended the benefit to similar establishments in Madurai and Coimbatore, provided they paid two times the privilege fee.
The privilege fee for the hotels has also been revised with the new fee for five star hotels fixed at Rs 16 lakh while it is Rs 9 lakh and Rs 6 lakh for four star and three star hotels, respectively.
The latest move by the Government, which rakes in a lot of revenue from liquor sales through state-run outlets, is seen more as an effort to ensure availability of quality pint to foreign travellers who reach the cities at odd hours.
However, the 24-hour availability of alcohol has not been extended to outlets run by the Tamil Nadu State Marketing Corporation (TASMAC).