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On May 12, Tamil Nadu Chief Minister C. Joseph Vijay ordered the closure of astir 717 liquor shops located adjacent schools and places of worship crossed the State. Within a month, these shops person disappeared from Tamil Nadu’s streets. But, successful the towns and villages crossed the State, customers person simply migrated to the adjacent nearest Tasmac outlet. Residents, meanwhile, kick that they person not yet seen an extremity to drunken nuisance astatine nationalist spaces.
This is not the archetypal clip Tamil Nadu has acted to chopped down connected the fig of Tasmac outlets. In 2016, Chief Minister Jayalalithaa promised prohibition successful phases and closed astir 500 shops. The pursuing year, her successor Edappadi K. Palaniswami announced the closure of different 500 shops.
Long-running effort
In 2023, Minister for Electricity, Prohibition and Excise V. Senthil Balaji informed the Assembly that 500 much Tasmac retail outlets would beryllium closed. The latest closure of 717 shops is truthful the latest section successful a long-running effort to equilibrium nationalist sentiment with the State’s dependence connected gross from liquor sales.
“From past experience, each clip a caller enactment comes to powerfulness successful Tamil Nadu, closing liquor shops becomes 1 of its modular promises. But shops are yet opened successful different locations. Moreover, shutting down outlets does not needfully effect successful a nonaccomplishment of business, arsenic tipplers simply migrate to adjacent shops. What the Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) authorities has done excessively is simply a cosmetic hole to a overmuch deeper problem,” says a root tracking the liquor industry.
In the days pursuing the closure order, The Hindu visited respective Tasmac outlets crossed Tamil Nadu to analyse whether the shutters had genuinely travel down and whether the determination had made immoderate tangible quality connected the ground. They had, successful galore areas. However, during this visit, members of the nationalist person said determination are much specified shops which the authorities has to close.
For instance, astatine Velachery successful Chennai, residents of Balakrishna Nagar person been demanding the removal of Tasmac Shop No. 928 for respective years. They are aggrieved by the beingness of the outlet connected Station Service Road, which serves arsenic the gateway to residential neighbourhoods specified arsenic Annai Indira Nagar, VGP Avenue, and Balakrishna Nagar. Residents constituent retired that Station Service Road besides connects Velachery to the Mass Rapid Transit System (MRTS) presumption astatine Taramani. They reason that the beingness of the liquor store present increases the hazard of accidents connected the engaged arterial road.
Social activistic S. Kumararaja said that portion the Greater Chennai Traffic Police regularly counsel motorists not to portion and thrust and behaviour consciousness campaigns, galore customers visiting Tasmac outlets are motorists who devour intoxicant and drive. He alleged that the postulation constabulary bash not behaviour capable conveyance checks astatine nighttime to curb the practice.
In Tiruvallur district, residents of Karanodai were initially excited to find that their long-standing request for the closure of Tasmac Shop No. 9075 had been included successful the database of 717 outlets unopen down by the government. However, wrong 2 days of its closure, the store was reopened aft the authorities stated that the store fig had been wrongly mentioned successful the list.
In Kancheepuram and Chengalpattu, activists accidental closing liquor shops adjacent schools, colleges, autobus stops and places of worship unsocial is not enough. “If those shops are closed, radical spell to elite shops. In Kancheepuram municipality alone, determination are 3 outlets connected the main road. Why bash we request truthful galore liquor shops successful specified a tiny town?” asked an activist. Farmers accidental that astatine galore places, culverts, bridges and pump rooms person go informal drinking spots. Waste generated by those who stitchery determination is often discarded indiscriminately, with integrative litter ending up successful farmland and h2o channels. In galore areas, tipplers dump integrative cups and papers connected the roadworthy oregon propulsion them into waterbodies.
Among the outlets closed successful Coimbatore was a bar-attached Tasmac store astatine Airport Junction connected Avinashi Road, which has engaged autobus stops, a Passport Seva Kendra, 2 hospitals, and a religion wrong a 500-metre radius. A Tasmac authoritative said the section continues to person petitions seeking closure of further outlets located adjacent schools oregon places of worship. “These demands volition beryllium scrutinised,” helium says.
Residents person besides sought the closure of Tasmac Shop No. 1663 astatine Mani’s Theatre autobus halt connected Kamarajar Road, a engaged agelong linking Avinashi Road and Tiruchi Road. Near the Pudukottai autobus stand, 2 Tasmac outlets were closed, but 2 FL2 liquor outlets successful the aforesaid country proceed to operate, resulting successful nary alteration successful the availability of alcohol.
Fresh database sought
A supervisor from Thanjavur says respective Tasmac outlets adjacent schools and nationalist places were not included successful the database of 717 shops. According to officials successful Tiruchi and Pudukottai, the section has present sought a caller database of outlets for imaginable closure. In Salem district, N. Prasanth, a nonmigratory of Kolathur, says residents of the locality are blessed astir the closure of the Tasmac outlet. Members of the public, particularly women, had faced sizeable hardship arsenic inebriated customers often harassed women and picked quarrels, helium adds.
Protests person been held crossed the Erode district, seeking closure of much Tasmac outlets, with residents citing inconvenience and worries implicit safety. Residents of Solar, Kadambur, Ammapettai, and Anthiyur person submitted petitions to the territory medication demanding closure of shops successful their localities.
V. P. Manikandan, a Madurai-based activist, says a Tasmac outlet astatine Ellis Nagar, connected his way to work, was closed. However, radical person shifted to adjacent recreation clubs. “Many besides bargain liquor, portion successful vehicles parked on roadsides, and propulsion the bare bottles successful residential areas,” helium says.
In the Tenkasi district, the authorities person closed the “low-sales” shops, portion allowing “high-sales” outlets to proceed their cognition contempt being located successful usurpation of the norms, a supervisor claims.
Re-survey planned
In Virudhunagar, a elder authoritative says efforts are being made to re-survey the region betwixt Tasmac retail outlets and schools, temples, and autobus stands, arsenic officials had erroneously prepared the database without decently verifying the 500-metre radius. This workout was done successful galore parts of the State earlier implicit closure. E. Srinivasagan, an AIADMK functionary, says the closure of 2 Tasmac outlets astatine Aruppukottai volition service nary intent arsenic backstage bars proceed operating nearby. “Earlier, the gross went to the State exchequer. Now, backstage individuals are the ones benefiting,” helium says.
The closure has displaced 3,474 store workers, including supervisors, salesmen, and adjunct salesmen. Of them, 2,331 workers person been redeployed to adjacent shops, portion the remaining 1,143 volition beryllium sent to different shops successful the coming days. Minister for Prohibition and Excise K. Vignesh said each workers would beryllium redeployed astatine places wherever determination was demand. A Tasmac supervisor successful Madurai says helium was posted astatine the Bibikulam outlet, which was closed for being wrong 500 metres of a spot of worship and an acquisition institution. He has present been asked to articulation a store astatine Tiruppalai, which already has 3 supervisors.
Questioning the rationale down the decision, helium alleges that employees from the closed outlets are being redeployed to shops that are adequately staffed. Many employees besides voiced interest implicit the mediocre infrastructure and moving conditions astatine Tasmac outlets and bars. They said the corp offered debased salaries, contempt their enactment being demanding.
Residents crossed Tamil Nadu accidental they privation much shops violating the norms to beryllium unopen and not simply relocated. They person besides called for stricter enforcement of rules against drunken driving, tighter constabulary surveillance, and stronger enactment to forestall the merchantability of spurious liquor. For many, the authorities indispensable spell beyond symbolic closure of shops and code the broader nationalist information concerns linked to alcohol.
(With inputs from R. Srikanth and Deepa H. Ramakrishnan successful Chennai; B. Tilak Chandar and S. Sundar successful Madurai; P. Sudhakar successful Tirunelveli; Wilson Thomas successful Coimbatore; Nacchinarkkiniyan M. successful Tiruchi; M. Sabari successful Salem; and S.P. Saravanan successful Erode.)
