Resto Bars Will Encourage Women, Students to Drink: PMK

Chennai: The proposed opening of resto bars would encourage students and women to imbibe alcohol, leading to a cultural degradation in the State, and hence the government should give up that plan and work towards ushering in total prohibition in the next four years by closing down 1000 liquor shops a year, the PMK said.

Passing 31 resolutions at its general body meeting at the Confluence Arena in Mahabalipuram on Wednesday when the Anbumani Ramadoss, S Vadivel Ravanan and M Thilagabama took charge as president, general secretary and treasurer of the party once again following their unanimous re-election to the top party posts, the party wanted drug trafficking to be curbed with an iron fist.

Flaying Karnataka’s plan to build a dam across River Cauvery at Mekedatu with the support of the Union Government, the PMK urged the State government to not seek a separate tribunal to adjudicate on the proposed Mekedatu reservoir and its plans to hold direct talks with the Karnataka government.

Expressing the party’s readiness to face the rural local body elections at all levels, the PMK said that the tenure of local bodies in 28 districts ended in January, 2025, and the terms of those in the other 9 districts would expire in October.

Expecting elections in the 37 districts, excluding Chennai in October, the general council said the party leadership would formulate all strategies, including alliances for the rural local body elections, and urged the office-bearers at the State, district, union and village levels to carry out field work by meeting the people and be prepared for the polls at the panchayat, panchayat union and district panchayat levels.

Among the other demands the PMK placed before the State government were to abandon the decision to open 12 new sand quarries, provide jobs to 1.5 lakh persons as part of filling up the 6 lakh vacancies in government jobs, providing 75 per cent reservation in private sector jobs, appoint one lakh teachers in to stop the decline of government schools and take steps to control inflation.

The PMK wanted an investigation into irregularities that led to the loss of 700 MBBS seats under the government quota due to the conversion of six private medical colleges into deemed to be universities and the starting of 6 government medical colleges to compensate for the loss.