TIRUCHY: Several hundred kilometres away from the districts of Villupuram and Chengalpattu, which have grabbed eyeballs following the recent spurious liquor tragedies, reside around 50 families in the Lalgudi municipality of Tiruchy district who have to put up with the prospect of being branded liquor brewers almost every other day – all because their locality is named 'Sarayakadai Street' (liquor shop street).
While several attempts have been made over the past seven decades or so to change the name, residents of the locality under Ward 20 of Lalgudi Municipality said official area records and their identity documents continue to bear the address as 'Sarayakadai Street’.
V Maruthanayaga (67), a resident, said, "I am told that before my time there used to be a 'kallu kadai' in the locality and hence the name. But from my childhood till date there have been no liquor shops here. Yet, when outsiders ask for our street name they immediately ask whether we brew liquor. Due to the street’s name, some families aren’t able to marry off their children without facing hassle as prospective partners rethink when they hear of our street name. It's a decent locality but almost every resident’s life is burdened by the name."
Ex-ward councillor N Raja Karthikeyan said, "When children are asked for their address in school, things turn unpleasant for them. I made several attempts, including introducing a resolution to change the locality’s name, during my tenure but no action has been taken by the municipality."
N Veerasekaran of Bharatiya Kisan Sangh, who raised the issue with several players, said, "Sometime ago an alternate name, 'L M Ramasami Pillai Street' was given and a board bearing it was there in the street, but the locality name has not been changed officially. The municipality should take action considering the mental agony that residents go through." When contacted, Lalgudi Municipality Commissioner V Kumar told TNIE, "If the people want the street name to be changed, it can be done. I'll consult with the elected municipality representatives on it."