Ideas galore for a safer Chala

Traders seek subsidised material to rebuild gutted shops

November 20, 2014 10:15 am | Updated 10:15 am IST - THIRUVANANTHAPURAM:

District Collector Biju Prabhakar has mooted a strict ban on storage of explosive and inflammable material, including those by wholesale matchstick dealers, in the Chala market.

At a meeting convened here on Wednesday to discuss immediate measures to avoid fire accidents in the crammed market, Mr. Prabhakar suggested that traders in the area go for fire and theft insurances apart from immediately stocking fire extinguishers in every shop in the market.

Stressing immediate action on a number of short-term measures, Mr. Prabhakar said statues and other structures that protruded into the roads in the market should be removed for more space for both vehicles and pedestrians. Fixed timings could be thought for loading and unloading of heavy vehicles in the market, probably from 8 p.m. to 9 a.m. A system wherein only pedestrians would be allowed after 5 p.m. or 6 p.m. could also be thought of, he said. More parking spaces for shoppers should be identified. Security for such parking lots had to be made sure of via paid parking, well-lit spaces and if possible, with CCTV surveillance as well.

Fire audit

The Collector, who suggested fire hydrants and pumps to draw water from the Padmatheertham pond to Chala, also called for a general fire audit by a technical agency, an inspection by the Electrical Inspectorate, an emergency lighting system and replacement of electrical posts with underground cables. Another suggestion was the reversal of the existing Karamana-Chala one-way route into an East Fort-Karamana one-way so as to ensure a proper exit road from the congested East Fort area.

The Kerala Vyapari Vyavasayi Ekopana Samithi Chala unit, which pointed out that nearly 30,000 people earned a livelihood from Chala, requested subsidised building material to help reconstruction of shops that were gutted in the November 14 fire, apart from the permanent positioning of two fire engines, fire hydrants inside the market, regulation of parking and traffic inside the market, a passage from the Putharikandam grounds to the market and also removal of encroachments.

The Kerala State Vyapari Vyavasayi Samithi suggested that since the Attakulangara bypass and the Power House road were widened recently, there was no need for further road-widening.

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