Chennai struggles with flood relief, Amma government busy selling booze
Whilst Chennai citizens struggle to restore normalcy to every flood-affected nook in their city, and volunteers work night and day to coordinate relief operations, the Amma government is busy selling liquor through authorised TASMAC outlets spread across the metro. Not only is the state selling liquor at a time when scores of flood survivors still wait for basic relief material and sleep on the city's roads, the government has also failed to shut TASMAC outlets even after citizens reported that a few women were harassed by drunken men outside one such store in West Mambalam.
Outraged by the government's apathy, Chennaiites have taken to social media to shame the Jayalalithaa government, demanding that it shut down TASMAC shops till the city gets back on its feet:
#Tasmac- Understand many getting drunk and creating problems for volunteers and rescuers. Can shops be closed for a week ?
— Mohan Raman (@actormohanraman) December 4, 2015Dear TN Govt, When you can run #TASMAC shops amidst these floods, why not #AMMA canteens? Why are they all shut?
— Ethirajan (@Ethirajans) December 7, 2015Pathetic argument frm Murugan IAS, says #TASMAC employees cant be involved n relief works, they rn't trained for that. 90% of the vlntrs rnt
— Ethirajan (@Ethirajans) December 5, 2015According to some, #TASMAC shop & alochol consumption are reason for harrasememt,as if elites who drink at 5 star never harras any females.
— AV (@cinemaausher) December 7, 2015Many people r sleeping in the road now.Drinkers creating problems during night. Please close #Tasmac till the problem gets resolved
— Common Man Sathish (@SathishMSK) December 7, 2015
Shld we b angry wit the gvt. Or the idiots who is still buying from #Tasmac the other side cow feeds a Pig. What shld be...
Posted by Suriya Narayanan on Sunday, December 6, 2015
seeling Daaru in a flood affected area, where people are dying is awful. #CloseTasmacDuringReliefWork
— Siddharth Dey (@DeySiddharthD) December 7, 2015They don't have time to open relief centers, but they've time to sell liquors during this crisis.SHAMELESS. #closetasmacduringreliefwork
— Praveen S (@Praveen8689) December 7, 2015Heard that Some Woman volunteers harassed by some drunkards in West Mambalam. So #CloseTasmacDuringReliefWork
— Vinoth_VD (@iVijayDevotee) December 7, 2015Was completely surprised & shocked to see so many govt run alcohol shops #TASMAC opened over the last few days in Chennai. They could have atleast done their bit with these shops over the last few days.
Posted by Shanmuga Sundaram on Sunday, December 6, 2015
@sandygrains Reddy Kuppam rd west mambalam Tasmac open and BUSY since morning. Harassment high in Govindan Rd. Groping, asking fr Condoms
— Lavi (@Lavy81dec) December 5, 2015Meanwhile TN govt doing commendable job against all odds providing poor people with cheap alcohol. Slow clap #TASMAC https://t.co/gKGL3l5v0N
— Deepti Sharma (@DeeSCJockey) December 5, 2015Its really sickening to see liquor being supplied to #TASMAC shops even in this floods, Govt shall use that manpower in relief works instd.
— Ethirajan (@Ethirajans) December 5, 2015@itisprashanth I'm sad that thr is no milk shop to buy milk but the bloody #TASMAC is opened with full rush #chennairains
— Sattish viswanath (@sattish_viswa) December 4, 2015