CM Vijay’s Day 1: Shankar Movie Vibes

TVK supremo and Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Joseph Vijay seems to be in no mood to relax after taking charge of the new government. He is in the thick of things as far as his administration is concerned going by the first big decision taken within hours after sitting in the CM’s chair and gave shankar movie hero vibes.

In what could be considered as a stringent administrative measure, Vijay on Tuesday ordered the closure of 717 state-run liquor retail outlets operating near places of worship, educational institutions and bus stands across the state.

In the just released government order, authorities have been issued directions to shut down all such Tamil Nadu State Marketing Corporation (Tasmac) outlets functioning within a 500-metre radius of temples, mosques, churches, schools, colleges and bus stands in the next two weeks.

This is indeed a welcome move which will receive unanimous approval because liquor shops are usually operated within these sensitive areas despite clear instructions by the government.

Usually, authorities tend to turn a blind eye to such violations and allow free hand for operating the liquor shops in the close vicinity of schools and and religious places, causing huge inconvenience to the public.

By officially ordering closure of such outlets, Vijay’s government has sent a strong signal that any deviation would invite strict legal action. This is the first major policy decision taken by Vijay after assuming charge.

Immediately after taking oath as CM on Sunday, Vijay sanctioned three major initiatives to fulfill his poll promises. He officially rolled out a welfare scheme providing 200 units of free electricity to domestic households and established a specialized task force dedicated to enhancing women’s safety.

Additionally, in an effort to combat substance abuse, he authorized the creation of anti-drug units across every district to systematically address the state’s narcotics concerns.

Usually, we see these kinds of decisions on the very first day of a Chief Minister taking charge in director Shankar’s films like Oke Okkadu. But it is still too early to predict Vijay’s mark in politics. Everyone takes such decisions in the beginning, but how they manage things later will be the real deciding factor.

Last week, he scripted history by winning 108 seats of 234 in the recent Tamil Nadu assembly elections by defeating all leading parties.