As liquor shops remain wide open, harassment of women joins Chennai’s list of problems

Many outlets saw staff working in candlelight in the absence of power supply

Neither the heavy rains nor the effects of flooding have deterred people from frequenting Tasmac outlets —Photo: R.Ragu

While people are going out of their way to help the flood-affected, many young women are pained at the sight of inebriated men harassing them.

Women volunteers harassed by inebriated persons in relief camps shared their experiences on social media.

Vishesh Unni R., one of the volunteers, said that while carrying out distribution of food and relief material in West Mambalam, his team came across quite a number of persons, who had come to collect relief material, inebriated.

Army officers who were involved in rescue operations said they were “surprised” to find many of the rescued men in an inebriated condition.

An officer said: “In T. Nagar, a man jumped into the water and tried to swim. The water level was low and he could have easily walked. Though it looked funny, we were wondering what would have happened to him if the water was deep,” he said.

Residents in many parts of Chennai were disturbed about the State-run liquor shops being opened despite the heavy rains.

Outlets of Tamil Nadu State Marketing Corporation Ltd. – Tasmac – functioned with the staff placing candles in shops in the absence of power supply. Tasmac officials said they had closed outlets only in those spots they considered vulnerable. Change India, an NGO, has appealed to the government to suspend operations of Tasmac outlets for at least two months in rain-affected districts. “Any amount of assistance and relief will be of no use otherwise,” said A. Narayanan, director, Change India.