The Hindu : Tamil Nadu News : Poor safety norms in Tirupur bars

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Friday, May 25, 2007
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Tamil Nadu

Tamil Nadu

Poor safety norms in Tirupur bars

M. Gunasekaran

TIRUPUR: The vibrant business town of Tirupur not only tops in garment exports, but also in liquor consumption in the region.

The tragedy that left 28 dead has thrown into focus the poor safety norms in bars, where hundreds assemble every evening.

A majority of the liquor outlets and adjacent bars, run by the Tamil Nadu State Marketing Corporation (TASMAC), are a big source of revenue, but they are not hygienic, and do not fulfil safety requirements.

According to sources, the Tirupur division comprising Tirupur, Avanashi, Palladam, Pollachi, Udumapet and Valparai taluks has 263 retail outlets, 103 in Tirupur taluk itself. The sale of liquor touched Rs.51.64 crore in March in this division.

Rs. 2-crore sales a day

An official said Tirupur topped in liquor sales in the region. Average daily sale of liquor is Rs.1.75 crore and this crosses Rs. 2 crore a day during weekends because of the weekly wage system.

A majority of the workers are migrants, and they treat alcohol as a stress buster.

"It is a big social issue. The migrant workers, who work in textile mills and garment factories here, do not have any social security, decent living and entertainment. The influx of cheap migrant workforce has altered the social structure of Tirupur," notes writer Subrabarathi Manian, who has written about the plight of the migrant workers.

Authorities faulted

Tirupur MLA and CPI (M) leader C. Govindasamy faults TASMAC authorities for poor monitoring of bars. The vendors expanded the area of drinking without bothering about safety norms.

"If the incident had taken place on Saturday, the salary day, or during peak hours between 9 p.m. and 11 p.m. the death toll would have been doubled."

Collector's directive

Coimbatore Collector Neeraj Mittal said he had asked the authorities to examine the structural stability of bars across the district.

A floor map should be drawn up for all bars and a safety mechanism evolved.

While TASMAC's own employees get poor salary after putting in hard labour, the condition of suppliers at bars employed by the licensees is worse, says a trade union leader.

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