After residents’ petition to Collector, six TASMAC outlets in Vellore, Ranipet and Tirupattur to be relocated

The District Collector in Vellore, Ranipet, and Tirupattur has directed officials of Tamil Nadu State Marketing Corporation Limited (Tasmac) to relocate six outlets after residents complained about over public nuisance resulting from these outlets.

Tasmac officials said that two outlets are located in Kagithapattarai near the Office of the Collectorate that comes within Vellore Corporation. They are located on the service lane of Chennai – Bengaluru Highway (NH 48).

The stretch has also become accident-prone due to movement of tipplers during rush hour. “Plan to relocate these outlets is a welcome measure. Residents, including students and office goers, find it difficult to use the stretches where these outlets are located,” said G. Bindu, a resident.

Other outlets identified for relocation are operating at Tiruvalam village near Katpadi on EB Road junction, one in Oddapatti village near Jolarpet town in Tirupattur and one on Ambur – Pernambut Main Road.

In Ranipet, the existing outlet in Palari village near Walajah town will also be relocated.

After a consultative meeting with local police and revenue officials on alternative accommodation of identified outlets by the District Collector, these outlets will be shifted. Paperwork for the relocation has begun. “Identification of rented accomodation for these outlets in isolated areas are being done for its permanent relocation. The relocation of the outlets will be completed in a month’s time,” S. Sathiyam Ram, District Manager, Tasmac (Vellore), told The Hindu.

At present, these districts together have a total of 385 outlets, across industrial towns like Ranipet, Vaniyambadi and Ambur and farming areas like Cheyyar, Arani, and Kalasapakkam in Tiruvannamalai. Of this, Tiruvannamalai district has the highest number of outlets (206), followed by Ranipet (83), Vellore (60) and Tirupattur (36).

Residents said that the six identified outlets are closed to arterial stretches, schools and government offices where movement of people has been regular. They said that there were several recent incidents near the outlets where inebriated persons were caught engaging in petty fights with other residents.

They also said that drunk people were found lying on the carriageway, affecting traffic movement on the route, especially along the service lane of Chennai – Bengaluru Highway at Kagithapattarai in Vellore.