Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam MLA N. Karthik has urged the district administration to act against all the illegal bars in the district.
In his petition, submitted at the weekly grievances meeting on Monday, he said even after the expiry of bar licence period on December 31, 2017, 237 bars, attached to as many shops, continued to function illegally in the district.
The Tasmac officials ought to have conducted auction in November-December 2017 for the bars.
The result of the bars functioning illegally was that the State Government lost Rs. 6 crore a day at Rs. 2.50 lakh a bar a month.
That the officials aided the illegal functioning of bars could be seen from the recent arrest of an Excise Department official in Coimbatore by Directorate of Vigilance and Anti Corruption, he pointed out.
Besides, the bars functioned 24 hours a day when the government stipulation was that they should remain open only between noon and 10 p.m.
The district administration should, therefore, act against all the 237 bars by closing them, he said.
‘Withdraw bus fare hike’
The Communist Party of India’s Coimbatore Urban central committee petitioned that the Coimbatore Corporation had hiked the water connection deposits and also undertaken property tax revision exercise. It should give up both the exercises as there was no elected Council in place. The State Government should also withdraw the bus fare hike, as it burdened the common man.
And, the district administration should expedite the construction of flyovers and road over bridges on Pollachi Road as the area saw heavy traffic congestion.
Memorial for bomb
blast victims
Bharat Sena urged the district administration to grant permission for erecting memorial to honour those killed during the 1998 Coimbatore bomb blasts. In its petition, the Hindu organisation said 58 innocent lives were lost in the blasts. The Bharat Sena had been demanding, almost every year, a memorial to honour the victims. But thus far, there had been no permission. At least this year, prior to the bomb blast anniversary, the administration should accord permission, it reiterated.
‘Check illegal mining’
Tamil Nadu Farmers Association, affiliated to the AIKS, has urged the district administration to check the illegal mining of natural resources. In its petition, the Association said though the officials of the Department of Geology and Mining had maintained that action had been initiated every month against illegal mining, it continued unchecked in Karamadai, Periyanaickenpalayam, Perur, Thadagam, Madukkarai, Mettupalayam, Sulur, Pollachi and a few other parts of the district.
The Department had said that it had granted only 160 permits, but even those permits were misused.
The Association also drew the administration’s attention to the smuggling of gravel and sand to Kerala via Palakkad, Chittur and Kozhinjampara and sale at a price that was twice that in Tamil Nadu. The demand, therefore, was to act against errant officials and stop the illegal mining of resources in the district.