Karimnagar: Vexed by the officials’ apathy, a cloth store merchant attempted self-immolation by pouring kerosene on himself in a protest against the setting up of a wine shop in the business area of Tower Circle in the heart of Karimnagar city on Monday.
However, the other merchants present there thwarted his suicide bid by taking the issue to the notice of concerned authorities. The victim, identified as Ashok, alleged that he and other merchants were not able to run the shop properly as customers were not visiting their shops because of the liquor outlet in the busy centre that too beside his shop.
On several occasions, the merchants took the issue to the notice of the officials concerned and even submitted a representation in the grievance cell requesting the shifting of the wine shop from the tower circle on Gandhi Road, but in vain, he alleged.
He complained that not only the business people but also the local residents had also been facing a lot of problems with the wine shop in the shopping complex area. The devotees visiting the Hanuman temple in the area were also facing problems with drunk people creating a nuisance.
