Kids’ petition forces shifting of Tasmac shop near a school in Ariyalur

The uniform-clad kids, I Ilam Thendral (Class 6) from RC Nirmala Gandhi Middle School in Ariyalur and her brother I Tamilarasan, (Class 4), approached District collector P Ramana Saraswathi and submitted a petition demanding that the Tasmac shop near their school be closed. 

In the petition, they claimed that the shop has been functioning for long and tipplers would gather in groups, causing inconvenience for the students. Also, empty, broken bottles would be strewn along the roads, injuring several kids. 

The Collector was impressed by the show of responsibility and assured them of action.

The petition with the comments of the kids was recorded by social activists in Ariyalur who also posted it on social media. It yielded fruit and the video went viral, thus coming to Chief Secretary V Irai Anbu’s notice who asked the Collector to relocate the outlet immediately. On Thursday evening, Tasmac officials closed the outlet that had been functioning for more than a decade.

“The outlet was functioning near the school and irked the parents and the public. We had submitted petitions on several occasions during the previous government but no action was initiated,” recalled Ilavarasan, father of the two kids, also an environmentalist.

After the government change, the kids wanted to volunteer and submit a petition to the Collector. “And this time, we succeeded. We are thankful to the Chief Secretary and the District Collector,” Ilavarasn told DT Next.