The spot in R.A. Puram where Canal Bank Road joins 3 Cross Street is an assault on the senses, with broken bottles strewn on the ground and a pungent stench filling the surrounding air.
For passersby, it may be just a fleeting moment of unpleasantness, but for S. Ramani and other residents of Narmada Apartments, this has been the reality for the past 11 years.
TASMAC outlet no. 914, set up in 2003, is located in flat nos: 1 and 2 of Narmada Apartments, according to Mr. Ramani.
“We made repeated attempts to speak to authorities and get our point across about the social menace of such an outlet here, but it was of no use,” he said.
Electricity for the TASMAC outlet is drawn from the apartment complex, illegally, and until recently, water too was taken from there, say residents. “The outlet functions past midnight every day. It is a 24-hour menace for us, as we often find men passed out at the entrance to our building,” said Mr. Ramani.
For the women of the apartment and those of Tulsi Nivas Apartments right next door, a mixture of fear and disgust prevents them from venturing out alone after dark. “Many residents of Tulsi Nivas enter via Narmada Apartments and scale the compound wall to avoid the outlet,” said a resident.
When contacted, T. Soundiah, managing director of TASMAC, said he would direct the senior regional manager to inspect the outlet. “We will shift the outlet to another area if residents’ complaints are found valid during our inspection,” he said.