Shut liquor shops near stations, says railway over stoning episodes

Chennai: Southern Railway has sought the relocation of 39 Tasmac liquor shops situated near stations and tracks in the city and its periphery. Frequent incidents of stones being thrown at trains, theft from passengers waiting at stations, trespassing on tracks and damage to railway signals across the suburban railway network prompted this initiative.The move comes amid the Tamil Nadu govt’s decision to shut down 717 liquor shops across the state. Of these, 276 shops are located within 500m of places of worship, 186 near educational institutions and 255 close to bus terminuses. Tasmac currently operates 4,765 retail liquor outlets in TN.Railway officials said the 39 shops identified are located within 200m of suburban railway stations and tracks across Tiruvallur, Kancheepuram and Chengalpet districts. The affected stations include Perambur, Avadi, Ambattur, Guindy, Chromepet, Tambaram Sanatorium, Velachery, Korukkupet, Washermanpet and Ennore.“We identified shops based on a study by 17 inspectors from 27 stations between Nov 2025 and March 2026, conducted near all railway stations. Public nuisance complaints from passengers formed the basis. The police found out that many purchased liquor from outlets near stations and consumed it near the entrances, platforms and tracks,” said Valleswara Babuji, senior divisional security commissioner.S Kumaresan, a resident of Chromepet said, “Every year, many deaths are reported near the Chromepet level crossing, and the victims are often intoxicated. Sitting near railway tracks and drinking has become common. The Tasmac shop located 100m from the station should be relocated.”“At Avadi railway station, tipplers easily breach the entry and exit points. Even during the day, they buy liquor from the nearby shop and consume it near the tracks. A few even buy platform tickets and drink on the stairs away from the counter. Many get away with this without RPF personnel noticing them,” says A Dharanidharan, a social activist from Avadi.