CHENNAI: The state government’s announcement on shutting Tasmac outlets near schools, temples and bus stands has also turned attention toward large resettlement sites where residents demand closure, but counsellors, NGO workers and officials warn that closure alone may deepen an already entrenched addiction crisis.
“Alcoholism here cannot be viewed in the same lens as elsewhere. If someone wants to quit drinking, where will they go?” asked a worker from Thozhamai NGO, which works in Semmenchery resettlement.
In settlements such as Perumbakkam, Semmenchery and Kannagi Nagar, alcoholism cannot be viewed merely as a ‘proximity to liquor shop’ issue. These mega resettlements, created through displacement and encroachment removal drives, have led to large-scale ‘ghettoisation’ over the years. Addiction has evolved into a deeper social and public health crisis, one that closures alone cannot solve, stakeholders say.
“Alcoholism in the colonies cannot be viewed separately from the larger history of displacement and peripheral housing policies that moved thousands of families away from the city’s core into dense housing clusters with weak social infrastructure,” a social activist opined.
Families continue to travel long distances for work, often leaving children unsupervised, while school dropouts, adolescent vulnerability and addiction remain persistent concerns even after decades. And, women being the most affected.
“Most women who come to us say their men come home drunk, don’t give money for the household, demand money for more drinks and become violent,” said a counsellor from a One Stop Centre. “In almost every case, alcohol is the root cause. If it’s farther away, the frequency of quickly going and buying will at least reduce, especially among underage kids.”
Across the resettlement belt, Tasmac outlets continue to function along arterial roads, bus stops and entry points. In Perumbakkam, residents pointed to Tasmac outlets near the Kumaran Nagar side, located within walking distance of the settlement.
“I’ve been living here for six years and still feel scared while returning from work,” lamented Mahalaksnmi, a resident. “Teenage boys regularly access alcohol around the shops. Some are above 16 while many are even below 14.”
A police officer working in the locality acknowledged that minors were occasionally found around Tasmac outlets, though continuous monitoring remained difficult. “Police cannot stand in that same spot all the time,” he added.
In Kannagi Nagar too, residents pointed to Tasmac outlets located close to bus stops and educational institutions. “There are wine shops on both sides,” said Praveena, a resident referring to an outlet near the Thoraipakkam-Perungudi stretch. “It’s right behind the bus stop. Schools are nearby. That outlet must be closed.”
But residents themselves acknowledged that closure alone would not automatically address addiction. “Even if they move it somewhere else, people are still going to go there,” she rued.
The absence of rehabilitation and de-addiction support in the resettlement colonies remained a major blind spot. “There are no rehabilitation centres here. Even counselling access is limited. Perumbakkam got its ONE Stop centre only a year before, other settlements still lack one,” said a representative from IRCDUC NGO in Perumbakkam.
The representative said that the COVID lockdown had already shown how addiction patterns adapted. “People travelled long distances, black marketing increased and people started searching for other intoxicants,” the representative said.
Residents and frontline workers opined that closure of Tasmac outlets could reduce underage exposure, public drinking and impulsive alcohol purchases around the settlements. “The crisis inside the resettlement colonies will remain unresolved without rehabilitation and sustained social intervention,” a worker averred.