Fed up with threats from ‘mamool’ seeking rowdies, traders in Puducherry have decided to apply for gun licences for self-protection. A decision to this effect was taken at the meeting of traders organisations held here on Friday.
The members have also resolved not to pay sales and service taxes if the government and police fail to take measures to curb the rowdy menace within three months.
Puducherry Traders Federation president M Sivasankar and general secretary S Balou told Express that the atrocities of rowdies targeting the business community was on the rise in recent days and many traders had received extortion threats from these anti-social elements.
Sivasankar said the traders would meet Collector Dr S B Deepak Kumar on September 11 (Wednesday) and apply for licences for guns to protect themselves from the anti-social elements.
“We will start a signature campaign by next week after the meeting with the Collector, and a memorandum along with the collected signatures would be submitted to the Lt Governor, Chief Minister and to the Union Home Minister,” said Balou.