Tasmac queue tokens given out in govt school in Salem

When the crowd surged in front of a Tasmac outlet in a village in Salem district on Thursday, the official machinery thought it fit to shift token distribution for the tipplers to a nearby government school that was about 500 metres away from the outlet.


The tipplers were asked to queue up inside the campus of panchayat union primary school at Kamalapuram near Omalur, where Tasmac staff issued them tokens that were meant to ensure proper queue.

The official apathy, which resulted in the school being turned into a liquor token distribution point, irked the residents of Kamalapuram. A group of agitated villagers took up the issue with police and Tasmac staff, who stopped the exercise after issuing tokens to about 300 people.

“This is height of government apathy. If government authorities turn the school into sort of an extension of a Tasmac outlet, wont tipplers be emboldened to enter the campus at night and consume alcohol,” asked K Selvakumar, district coordinator of Palli Kalvi Pathukappu Iyakkam. It was in this school that the villagers queued up to cast their votes during the elections. Selvakumar also questioned the education authorities for agreeing to open the gates of the school for a non-academic purpose like this.

Soon after the issue surfaced on social media, there was blame game among the officialdom.

Senior Tasmac officials said they were not aware that the school was being used for token distribution and passed the bucks on local staff and police. “Tasmac staff were instructed only to issue tokens in front of the outlet. But it was local police who instructed them to shift token distribution to the playground of the nearby school since large number of people started gathering,” said G Vediyappan, district manager, Tasmac.

Salem collector S A Raman said he has ordered a probe into the incident and sought a report. “I have sought an explanation from Tasmac as well as panchayat union officials. I have told education department officials to inquire and submit a report. Strict action will be taken based on the report.”