Eight persons who downed the shutters of a Tamil Nadu State Marketing Corporation (TASMAC) outlet at Puliakulam were arrested by the police.
The members led by A.T. Moses, vice-president, Congress district students’ wing, sprang a surprise by gathering in front of the TASMAC shop on Puliakulam Road and started raising slogans. They also chose to lock the shop, confining supervisor A. Krishnakanth inside.
According to the agitators, those who frequented the shop created a nuisance by making obscene remarks when women pass through the area and created law and order problems. The gathering of tipplers and parking of their vehicles on the road right in front of the shop was a hindrance to the already congested and narrow stretch.
Violating the norms regarding the location of TASMAC outlets not within 100 metres from schools and places of worship, the shop is located close to a corporation school.
Following the commotion, police personnel from the Ramanathapuram police station rushed to the spot and rescued the shop supervisor and arrested the agitators. A case has been registered under Section 147 (rioting), 342 (wrongful confinement), and 353 (deterring a public servant from discharging the duty) of the Indian Penal Code.
The police, however, said there was no complaint against the shop by the locals nor were there any earlier representations seeking its removal from the area.
The location of TASMAC shops was proving to be a contentious issue. Problems existed in Ganapathy, Vadavalli, Mettupalayam and Ramanathapuram in the recent past.
People object to the location of TASMAC outlets in residential areas and already the norms prevent their opening within 100 metres from places of worship and educational institutions.
Meanwhile, following a court ruling the move to shift the TASMAC outlets away from National Highways also ran into rough weather with people resisting the move to bring shops to their locality.
Not a single Monday passes off without petitions being presented to the Collector against location of TASMAC outlets.
