CHENNAI: For the tippler in you, Adambakkam is the place to be!
Not one, but five TASMAC outlets function on Medavakkam Main Road, including the other four located within a distance of 100 metres. The number, however, has gone down from six, as one of two outlets near Vanuvampet was shut recently.
Residents, however, complain of drunken antics of those downing many a glass. “After 6 pm, the vehicles will begin to pile up steadily. People drink in the bar and, after a while, step outside and break bottles on the road,” said E Sudhakaran, who owns a shop near the TASMAC outlet near Vanuvampet.
“I have witnessed one or two instances in the last month when a few drunkards tried to misbehave with women who were walking past the area. It is irritating but we can do little about it,” he added.
At the junction of Vellalar Street and West Karikalan Street near the St Thomas Mount railway station, there are four outlets, each brimming with customers even on a weekday afternoon.
One outlet which boasts of an AC bar is frequented by youngsters, according to a few traders in the vicinity.
“These are students of a nearby institute and local residents. The party cheer can be heard outside aloud. On weekends, the crowds swell,” said Baburajan, who works at a tea shop.
“Drunken brawls spill on to the street at times, and is a menace for traders like us who have our shops nearby,” said S Sivamurugan, who owns an oil retail shop near one of the TASMAC outlets.
The road from St.Thomas Mount is also narrow until it hits the junction, and the location of the outlets, according to the locals, affects movement of traffic.
“Traffic has increased considerably. There have been demands to widen these roads. At times, some of these outlets run out of space to accommodate the vehicles of customers. So, they end up parking on the road side affecting traffic and pedestrian movement,” Sivamurugan added. Beat patrolmen, speaking to City Express, said that tippler antics were being monitored consistently and nothing major had been reported.
“We are yet to receive any complaint of major abuse or misbehaviour from the local residents. Beat personnel and plainclothes police men monitor the area. Any incident is one-off and minor,” a beat officer said.
