Southern Railway seeks shifting of 43 TASMAC outlets near tracks

Southern Railway seeks shifting of 43 TASMAC outlets near stations, tracks

Chennai, Sep 27

The Chennai railway division first wrote to the state-run liquor retailer in September 2024 and again in May 2025. Having received no response, it took the matter to the chief secretary in July this year, according to railway sources.

The identified outlets are spread across Chennai, Tiruvallur, Vellore, Tirupattur, Ranipet and Kanchipuram districts.

Railway officials have flagged locations, including Royapuram, Korukkupet, Perambur, Jolarpet, Villivakkam, Avadi, Ennore, Thiruvalangadu and Nandiambakkam.

Officials said people drinking near the shops sometimes enter railway property, cross tracks at vulnerable points, travel dangerously on trains or sleep on platforms and inside coaches.

They have also reported harassment of women passengers, disturbances to railway staff, littering, theft and tampering with railway assets, including copper signal wires.

Commuter representatives said passengers have faced problems near stations at Ambattur, Tiruvallur, Avadi and Tambaram Sanatorium.

At Ambattur, some customers allegedly take liquor onto suburban trains and occupy coach floors.

The subway at Tiruvallur has reportedly become a drinking spot, leaving women reluctant to use it after dark.

In Avadi, groups gathering near an outlet on Station Road affect access to the station, a hospital and a temple.

Tasmac officials, however, have said finding replacement premises was difficult. The corporation has considered shifting more than 100 outlets across Tamil Nadu, but several proposed sites met with residents' objections or proved unsuitable.

At least seven shops near railway facilities have been closed or moved in recent months.

The TVK government recently closed 717 Tasmac outlets within 500 metres of educational institutions, places of worship and bus stands.

A Tasmac official said there was no specific rule on the distance between liquor shops and railway tracks.

The official said several states were considering guidelines because more than 17,000 liquor outlets were situated near tracks nationwide.

An official of a Tasmac workers' association suggested that the Railway Board seek court directions on suitable rules. The railway wants the outlets shifted to reduce risks around busy passenger corridors.

— IANS