Chennai: furore over liquor shop near schools

CHENNAI: Residents of Saligramam woke up to a rude shock on Saturday when the Tamil Nadu State Marketing Corporation Limited (TASMAC) administration opened a brand new wine shop on Arunachalam Road. The reason for the shock? The wine shop is in the vicinity of three schools. Ironically, the shop was inaugurated at night and residents had no inkling that a liquor outlet had come up in the two-storey building.

"A liquor- laden truck was unloading bottles outside the building on Saturday night, marking the inauguration of a new wine shop," said, S T Thangaraj, a businessman operating in the area. "Mindless of schools functioning in the vicinity, we do not know how the authorities granted permission for this," he wondered. Three educational institutions including a Government Higher Secondary are located close to the wine shop and hundreds of students accompanied by their parents pass that way daily.

After the wine shop raised its shutters, people in the thickly populated residential area have begun complaining about tipplers. A local, who spoke on condition of anonymity, complained that these inebriated men were causing problems for women. Charging them with harassing women residents, he said, "At times, they deliberately misbehave and snatch vegetables from the baskets carried by women. It is very unfortunate that we are undergoing such hardships within three days of the outlet coming into existence."

Besides, neighbouring shopkeepers have had to move drunks, after finding them asleep in front of their shops every morning. The locals also alleged that the wine shop had come up in a building owned by a former PMK MLA. Ironically, the political party is spearheading agitations for total prohibition in TN. Attempts to reach the Ex-MLA for his comments failed.

Meanwhile, the United Residents Welfare Association in Saligramam and Vadapalani has petitioned the TASMAC Managing Director on Monday, seeking the immediate closure of the wine shop, citing the safety of students and general public. T Soundaiah, Managing Director of TASMAC stated that he had asked officials to look into the issue.

However, another TASMAC official, who inspected the outlet on Tuesday, denied that the liquor shop was operating within the radius of 50 metres from the three schools. "It appears that business competition between bar owners in the area is the prime reason behind this opposition," he claimed.