Residents want Tasmac outlet near Perungudi station closed

CHENNAI: Two weeks ago, when Sumitra Raman* was walking from the Perungudi station to her apartment, a drunk man accosted her. Sumitra ran and reached her building complex that was not too far away from the station.The man who was chasing her fled after a security guard intervened.
Residents of Sumitra's complex still shudder remembering the night as it could have resulted in something worse had the building been further off or if the security guard had been absent.
Run from a blue shed, the liquor shop opposite Perungudi MRTS station was started after the one at Velachery closed down following a Supreme Court order that banned liquor outlets 500m from the highways.
Residents claim that the outlet, which does not have a Tasmac board or a shop number on display, starts operations early in the morning and remains open till 10pm.As per norms, Tasmac shops can open at 12 noon.
“Because of the drunk men it is unsafe for children and women to move around. The area is notorious for chain-snatching in cidents and for the past three months this wine shop has added to the menace,“ said Sujatha Sivakumar, a resident of the area.
Commuters alighting at the station say they feel unsafe walking along the path after dark. “On the weekends, it is worse as there are men at this shop right from the morning.Most of them get drunk and loiter around, many pass out near the shop,“ said S Subramanyam of Ramaniyam Marvel Flat Owners Association.
Members of the Tansi Na gar Welfare Association had approached the Madras high court for the closure of the shop due to the risk it posed.The court order on July 18 directed the Chennai collector to carry a surprise inspection at the outlet and take an informed decision within three weeks keeping in mind the plight of residents and children in a school nearby. When contacted, the Chennai collector told TOI that action would be taken after an inspection is carried out at the Tasmac premises in the forthcoming week.Tasmac, though reached out repeatedly , refused to comment.
*(name changed)