Efforts on to shift Tasmac outlets away from highways

Following the orders of the Madras High Court, Tamil Nadu State Marketing Corporation (Tasmac) has begun efforts to shift 64 shops along the National Highways to other locations.

According to sources, there are 299 shops in the district of which 64 are located on the National Highways while a little more than 80 are along the State Highways.

Order

The proposal to relocate the shops would be issued as an order by the District Collector in a day or two, the sources said.

The shops are located on the National Highway - 47 from Bangalore to Salem via Salem, Neelambur, Madukkarai; National Highway - 67 from Nagapattinam to Gudalur via Thanjavur, Tiruchi, Palladam, Coimbatore, Mettupalayam, Ooty, Gudalur and National Highway - 209 from Nagapattinam, Gudalur and Mysore road.

Norms

When the process of identifying locations to shift the outlets began, the official machinery encountered public resistance.

According to an official with the Tasmac, Coimbatore, norms are clear that no liquor shop should be located close to educational institutions and places of worship.

There are no restrictions for location of shops in places classified as industrial or commercial.

Though the deadline fixed by the court for shifting the shops ended on March 31, the officials are planning to complete the exercise within the next 15 days.

After clearing the shops from the National Highways, Tasmac was likely to focus on shifting shops away from the State Highways, the sources added.