The Hindu : `Many shops close to temples'

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Sunday, Nov 30, 2003

Southern States

Southern States - Tamil Nadu-Chennai

`Many shops close to temples'

By Our Staff Reporter

CHENNAI NOV. 29. Residents of various parts of the city and its suburbs today raised a voice of dissent against the opening of liquor shops by the Government.

Groups of residents took to the streets at Choolaimedu, Triplicane, Mylapore and Tambaram condemning the decision and the placement of outlets close to places of worship and residential colonies.

The Government today took over IMFL retail outlets based on an interim court order on Friday. The Collectorate and the Corporation staff identified the shops.

Till evening, the Tamil Nadu State Marketing Corporation opened 366 outlets.

A senior official of the corporation said there were 565 licensees for IMFL retailing within city limits prior to the Government takeover. "More shops will be opened by tomorrow evening."

Residents of the Puliyur Housing Board Colony and Periyar Pathai at Choolaimedu protested against opening an IMFL shop at 47, Periyar Pathai. The liquor outlet had come up at a place that housed a teashop.

Women and children carried placards and raised slogans against the decision to put up the outlet. "The proposed shop is just a few metres away from the Angalaparameswari Amman temple. Several women and children pass through the area," one of the agitators said.

I. Abraham Engles, secretary, Puliyur Housing Board Allottees Welfare Association, said the shop had come up right at the entrance of the housing board colony, which had 428 flats. "The water tank is placed just a few metres away from the shop. We fear that it might become a nuisance." The shop was not opened at the stipulated 8 a.m. today.

A group of women protested over another new outlet at the Pycrofts Road junction at Triplicane. More than 100 women belonging to the All-India Democratic Women's Association staged a demonstration at Mylapore.

They said the Government proposal to keep the shops open till midnight would make it unsafe for women.

Several women gheraoed and prevented authorities from opening a shop near the Irumbuliyur Seliamman temple at Tambaram. More than 150 women squatted in front of the shop and demanded that the outlet should not come up close to the temple.

According to the Tamil Nadu Liquor Retail Vending (in shops and bars) Rules, 2003, liquor shops within municipal limits should be placed 50 metres away from the places of worship and educational institutions.

But the complaints have given rise to the suspicion among some of the residents welfare association members that norms were overlooked in the "tearing hurry" shown by officials to open the outlets.

"The shop at Periyar Pathai is close to temple and is in a residential colony," said the Exnora International founder, M. B. Nirmal.

"It appears that the officials have been keen on identifying maximum number of shops wherever available rather than shops in appropriate places."

Some of the officials involved in identifying the shops said the 50-metre rule did not apply to areas classified as `commercial' in the government records.

The Chennai Collector, V. Kannuchamy, said he received complaints from the protesters at Choolaimedu.

"The shops were not available on the main roads for rent earlier. But now, the shopowners are coming forward to lend their shops on rent. We will relocate the objectionable outlets."

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