Bars at Tasmac outlets close to schools and businesses have become a menace in parts of Trichy. Unregulated and unchecked, these establishments have turned into breeding grounds for chaos, attracting tipplers whose drunken antics make life unbearable for students, residents, and business owners. In the past week, TOI identified five outlets operating within a 1 km radius of educational institutions, many operating round the clock, creating an unsafe and unhygienic environment.
In Puthur, just a stone’s throw from Fathima govt-aided higher secondary school and barely 60 m from the hostel entrance of Bishop Heber College, is a Tasmac bar outlet. Almost every morning, people are found passed out in front of the entrance to the point that school authorities are considering closing the front gate and using only the back. “Sometimes their clothes are half undone. It’s embarrassing for students and parents entering the campus,” says Assistant Headmistress Arokya Meghala of Fathima School, which has 400 students.
Residents say tipplers park vehicles haphazardly, urinate on the road, and pass lewd comments at passersby. “I carry pepper spray these days,” says a college student. Police Commissioner N Kamini says, “Necessary action will be initiated through the intelligence section regarding the outlet functioning during unpermitted hours.”
“While drunk customers may spend more and boost my sales, they often create a ruckus and drive away other customers,” says the owner of a bakery 100 m from an outlet. “I’m better off without that income.” Although district authorities claim to have shut down 13 outlets over the past three years and reduced revenue in Trichy considerably, liquor outlets continue to operate in sensitive areas. Despite multiple attempts, the collector could not be reached.
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