Urapakkam residents protest liquor shop

On February 15, a new liquor shop was opened in the VPK main road at Meenakshipuram in a government building. “We had always suspected that they were constructing the building for a Tasmac shop. But when we checked, we were told that it was meant to be a godown,” said a resident of Urapakkam on condition of anonymity.

Since the inauguration of the shop, locals have demanded closure of the outlet claiming that it was close to several private and government schools and that a church was also located very close to the shop. They have also filed a petition at the district collectorate but have not yet received any response.

Krishnamoorthy, a resident of Meenakshipuram said, “It is not a good decision to open the Tasmac outlet on the main road, as there are schools and many other shops surrounding the outlet and children and women frequent the road.”

He added that as it is several chain-snatching and house break-in incidents have been reported in the neighbourhood and the Tasmac shop would make it a haven for anti-social elements.

When contacted, Chengalpattu tahsildar Shankar said that they would look into the residents’ petition and take appropriate action. “If necessary we will move the shop to another location,” he said.

The southern suburbs of Urapakkam, Iyanchery and Kilambakkam are witnessing rapid urbanisation and resultant population explosion, with over 70,000 people making the neighbourhood their home.