The Madras High Court on Friday called for a report from the Tamil Nadu State Marketing Corporation (Tasmac) on the number of liquor shops run by it in unauthorised buildings, which were constructed either without obtaining any planning permission from the local body concerned or in violation of the authorised building plan.
A Division Bench of Justices M. Sathyanarayanan and P. Rajamanickam directed the Managing Director of Tasmac to also disclose to the court by next month, the number of liquor shops and bars that were being operated from pucca buildings and those functioning from enclosures with asbestos or thatched roofs.
Passing interim orders on a public interest litigation petition filed by a group of seven residents of Peelamedu in Coimbatore objecting to the reopening of a liquor shop in their locality, the judges wanted to know the steps taken by Tasmac to maintain hygiene and cleanliness in the areas around the shops and the bars in the State. They further wanted to know the steps taken to prevent or control the law and order problems created by the tipplers near the State-run liquor shops. The orders were passed after a senior counsel, representing the petitioners, stated that it was shameful for Collectors to give permission for opening of liquor shops in every district.
“Is that the job of IAS officers? Are they supposed to decide on location of liquor shops?” he asked. The counsel also complained about Tasmac officials not caring about the objections raised by local residents to open multiple shops within a locality and thereby pave way for the drunkards to create nuisance.
Shut shop
Warning the Tasmac counsel that they would not even hesitate to order that there must be a minimum distance of 10 km between two liquor shops, the judges ordered that the liquor shop in Peelamedu should be shut down since it was the case of the petitioners that there were already two shops in the same locality.
