No let-up in fight against TASMAC shops across Tamil Nadu

Road blockades, people petitioning officials and MLAs, picketing of TASMAC outlets and damaging liquor bottles and shops were among the modes of protest in Western districts where nearly a dozen such protests are organised every day against relocating TASMAC outlets. These protests are not only giving the police but also the TASMAC officials and district administration a tough time as they are battling between pressure from people and the government. 

Till March 31, there were 840 liquor outlets in Coimbatore Region comprising Coimbatore, The Nilgiris, Tirupur and Erode Districts. “As many as 536 shops were closed the following day. Due to strong protests by residents and various organisations, we could manage to relocate only 31 closed shops. We are trying to identify an ideal place to relocate the remaining 505 closed outlets,” a senior officer for Coimbatore Region told DTNEXT. 

The number of shops relocated in Coimbatore district stands at 15, which is equal to the number of shops relocated in the three other districts put together. In Coimbatore district, 183 of the 284 outlets were closed and with the relocation of 15 shops there remained 116 shops that were operational. In Tirupur District 167 of the 230 TASMAC outlets were closed and the officials had managed to relocate only four so far. 

In Salem region comprising Salem, Namakkal, Dharmapuri, Krishnagiri, Tiruvannamalai and Vellore districts, nearly 700 of the 1,100 outlets have been closed. While officials were unable to give data on the number of shops that were relocated in this region, they said that Salem District has managed to reopen 37 of the 135 shops that were closed.