Kollam: Families of Consumerfed employees have come to the aid of their breadwinners to counter the local resistance to their liquor outlet at Chinnakkada here for the last several weeks. The women family members of loading workers are also planning to join them to protect their jobs. They say the closure of liquor shops along the highways, abiding by the Supreme Court order, has adversely affected their livelihood, forcing them to come out against the “hindrances” before the relocated ones.
“We are on strike for the last 24 days against this shop. The pathway to it is just a meter wide and has compound walls on either side. The owner the tin factory who has rented out a portion of it has encroached half of it. Many people use this way, including students and even patients to a nearby scanning centre. Now, wives of loading workers also threaten to join them,” S.K. Ajishmol, who is in the forefront of protest against the outlet, told DC.
"The corporation has also given the notice to shift the store from here within seven days, saying the building is illegal. They have neglected all these." The Consumerfed had stored liquor worth Rs 2 crore overnight, three weeks back, but it could not start functioning. The authorities have tried to relocate it to at least two other locations where they faced local resistance. Now, the third spot found about 200 meters from the closed outlet is facing protests.
