CHENNAI: Residents living in and around Dhandapani Street in T Nagar complain that the TASMAC situated on the street has become a huge menace. Tipplers drink on the streets nearby, pass lewd comments on women, and even sleep in front of their homes, they say. Instances of groping have also been reported.
“There are at least 200 homes in the vicinity and most of us have complained to the authorities about this issue. This is completely a residential area and we are feeling very unsafe to step out of our homes in the night,” said K Vidhura of Ramasamy Street.
“On Friday, two persons got drunk and entered our house. It was very difficult to send them out. Many people relieve themselves outside our house and the stench is unbearable. This has been an issue for several years,” said one of the residents.
Another woman living on the street, on condition of anonymity, said, “Three days ago, two tipplers slept right outside our home. We--two women--live in the house and we could not move out till the next day. When we tried to talk to them, they threw verbal abuses at us. The problem is worse during the weekends.”
BK Pandian, a long time resident of the area, said, “Our house has been empty for the past one month. Nobody is coming, citing the TASMAC issue. While the pandemic has already affected us economically, this has added to our woes. It must be transferred to a non-residential area.”
To make the matter worse, the street also has two schools. Residents say that while they have seen tipplers intercepting students and picking up fights with them, they have also spotted some students buying booze from the shop.
When contacted, a senior police officer from T. Nagar said, “We haven’t received any complaints from the residents associations so far. Once we receive a formal complaint, we will coordinate with the respective department officials and corporation officials to provide a solution.”
After speaking to Express, TASMAC officials have registered a complaint and said they would inspect the place this week to see if a relocation was needed.