The Hindu             07.11.2013

T. Nagar footpath shops removed

Finally, on Wednesday, pedestrians in Pondy Bazaar got a
glimpse of what the area would look like without the ubiquitous
footpath shops.

The day dawned with some shopkeepers
removing their shacks and loading them in trucks. The move followed the
government’s refusal to grant another extension of the November 5
deadline to shift into the three-storey shopping complex built for their
benefit by Chennai Corporation on Thyagaraya Road.

In the past month, the shopkeepers had sought three stays to prevent eviction from the footpaths.

A
total of 620 shops in the complex have been allotted so far. Some
shopkeepers are now making arrangements to move in but on the ground and
third floors, a portion is unoccupied.

“Since the
shops have been allotted by draw of lots, those that sell flowers are
positioned next to garment shops. There are 16 shops selling flowers and
we have asked that all shops selling flowers be bunched on one side. We
routinely sprinkle water on flowers and it could damage goods in the
neighbouring garment shop. Besides, there is no provision for water to
drain. The arrangement for garbage disposal too is inadequate,” said
Rajendran, a flower vendor. Flower vendors have at present occupied the
front yard of the complex.

Kanniamma, who has been
doing business on the footpath for almost 40 years, said she was born in
the locality and runs a newspaper stall. “I have been allotted a shop
on the third floor. We will distribute the papers on the footpath in the
morning and carry on the business during evenings from the allotted
shop. Since there is a lift, I don’t see any difficulty posed for
customers,” she said.

Another trader, Syed Ibrahim,
too has been allotted shops in the complex. He said fifty years ago when
he set up a shop on the footpath under a tree in Pondy Bazaar, there
were just three others like him. “They died, but I continue to sell
towels and handkerchiefs. My sons and I have been allotted two shops. I
will supervise the sales,” he said.

Meanwhile, the
Pondy Bazaar Traders Welfare Association, which has around 125
shopkeepers as members, has gone to court demanding they be provided
larger spaces, which were promised to them, on the ground floor. “We
will remain here for another three months until the court decides our
fate,” said a shopkeeper on Lakshmanan Street.

The
association is also concerned that the proximity of the shops is a
threat to safety in case of a fire. Though portable fire extinguishers
have been provided near the staircase, the members are worried that
customers and shopkeepers would be affected in the event of a fire in
the complex.

A lawyer and resident of Usman Road, K.
Swaminathan, said around 65 shops in Usman Road that have come up under
the flyover there have got a stay on vacating. “Now they are demanding a
site for relocation. Today, the Corporation officials have cleared the
shops but we don’t know what will happen tomorrow,” he said.

A
Corporation official said the 65 shops were unauthorised structures and
would be removed shortly. According to the official, around 80 per cent
of the shops allotted space in the complex was removed on Wednesday.
The shops on Lakshmanan Street and Thanikachalam Road had moved the
court but they too would have to fall in line, he added. As for the
changes demanded by flower vendors, the official said the shopkeepers
would have to sort it out among themselves.