Villagers at Karuppayurani in Madurai District held a road blockade seeking the closure of a TASMAC outlet that is located near a government school in the area.
He added that Karuppayurani Panchayat Union Middle School is located just around 300 m away from the outlet. Because of the presence of anti-social elements, he added that the walk to school in the morning has also been made precarious.
“Operating a liquor outlet so close to schools gravely impacts student safety and corrupts their environment,” noted Sivakumar , one of the organisers. Sivakumar said. “Many parents have to make arrangements to accompany their child to and from school, which becomes an issue as they too have to go to work early in the morning,” he said. “We urge the authorities to step in immediately, permanently shut down the outlet and guarantee the protection of school students and local families,” stated Vignesh , a spokesperson for the association.
Expressing concern over student welfare and the safety of women in the neighbourhood, angry residents emphasised that the venue creates an unsafe environment for commuters and schoolchildren. In the other direction, a few private institutions, Appar Elementary School and Mother Justa Primary School, are located within half a kilometre of the outlet. “Every day, children leaving school in the evening, especially late after any extracurricular activities, have to go past the area, which is creating a major public safety issue for them. The agitators demanded that the district collectorate permanently seal the establishment to restore tranquillity in the locality.