TN must follow Gujarat model: Ramadoss

Chennai, Mar 8 (UNI) Calling for step-by-step closure of TASMAC shops selling Indian Made Foreign Liquor (IMFL) in the state, Pattali Makkal Katchi (PMK) Founder S Ramadoss today urged Tamil Nadu government to follow Gujarat model in mobilising fund for welfare schemes instead of depending on revenue from liquor sale.

Stepping up pressure on the ruling DMK on the TASMAC issue, he said the state government's ''modern prohibition policy'' that liquor sale was targetted only at affluent class was defeated by an NGO's findings that economic condition of poor had deteriorated due to consumption of liquor.

Reacting to Chief Minister M Karunanidhi's statement that the government was able to implement various welfare schemes for the people only through the revenue fetched through liquor sale, Dr Ramadoss pointed out that Gujarat, which was a dry state, had announced a Rs 16,000-crore scheme for upgradation of basic amenities in 3000 villages.

Despite enforcement of total prohibition and devoid of excise revenue and sales tax through liquor sale, Gujarat was remaining one of the leading states in the all-round development, he said.

Dr Ramadoss also refused to buy the Chief Minister's contention that prohibition was relaxed only to prevent sale of illicit arrack which affected poor people.

It only meant that they were unable to check illicit arrack, he said.

Throwing a gauntlet at the government, the PMK founder urged Mr Karunanidhi to give an order to the Police Department to function as per his (Ramadoss) advice.

''Within six months, a situation can be created wherein there will not be even a drop of illicit arrack in Tamil Nadu,'' he said.

Citing statistics that the revenue through sale of liquor in the state had touched Rs 5599 crore in ten months up to Janaury 2007 compared to Rs 3694 crore during 2001-02, he said it only showed that the number of drunkards had increased.

''What is the use of announcing concession for the poor after confiscating money from them through liquor sale. There is no need for this new prohibition policy in Tamil Nadu,'' he added.

UNI