It’s with fear R. Sowmya steps out of her house when the shutters of a Tasmac outlet are up. This wine shop (no. 518) near Rangarajapuram High Road, Kodambakkam, is crowded and does brisk business. The problem is many of its customers linger on, allegedly engaging in brawls. Some lie on the roadside in a state of undress. The nauseating smell of vomit permeates the air. It takes courage to cross the stretch, says 25-year-old Sowmya.
Many other women in the neighbourhood share Sowmya’s fear. The scenes at the outlet often prevent them from visiting the nearby temple, a super market or a chaat shop with their children.
According to a group of women, some visitors to the outlet relieve themselves in the open.
“At times, they threaten us, using abusive language. A few teenage girls have been subjected to harassment beyond description,” says a shopper.
The residents allege that some winebibbers turn up at the outlet early in the morning. Some wait through the night. Given this, parents are worried about their children’s safety whenever they reach home late.
“I have put my daughter, who is in class XI, in a coaching class in that area. I am fidgety till she returns home,” says V. Bhuvana. She claims the regulars at this outlet include a few celebrities.
Situated at a vantage point near the major intersection connecting Rangarajapuram Main Road with Ambedkar Road on the west and Kodambakkam Railway station on the east, the outlet is definitely a cause for concern.
The outlet has a two-storey building all to itself with a sales counter on the ground floor and a bar on the first and the second floors. An eatery is also attached to the facility.
R. Vijayalakshmi, a resident, says, “There have been cases of schoolchildren sustaining minor injuries and bruises due to drunken driving by customers of the outlet. I wonder how a Tasmac outlet could be allowed in a residential area, with a place of worship and a school in the vicinity.” K. Ravi, a resident, says, “The road is lined with vehicles of the outlet’s patrons, creating traffic bottlenecks. Especially, when the delivery van stops right in front of the shop to unload the stocks, vehicular movement is blocked from all sides and the intersection gets clogged. The only saving grace is that the outlet has engaged a person to streamline the parking.”
Numerous petitions and signature campaigns to shift shop No. 518 have not had the desired effect.
A personnel at a police patrol vehicle, stationed a few yards ahead of the shop, says, “As it is a government-registered outlet, we cannot question them. But we will take action against drunken driving.”
Siva Elango, president, Satta Panchayat Iyakkam, says, “As per law, in cities, there must not be a liquor shop within 50 metres from an educational institution or a place of worship and that there is no mentioning about residential areas. If more women residents come forward to protest, then it could be shifted.”
Despite several attempts, the officials concerned could not be contacted.
