Space will be made for hawkers to sell their wares at the five new facilities
Imagine being able to wrap up the day’s shopping as you cross the road to the bus stop while returning from work. It will definitely take the pressure off shopping and make life far easier for the office-goer.
This will soon become a reality with the Highways Department planning to create space for hawkers in five new pedestrian subways that are to come up in the city.
This is the first time that hawkers are being officially being allotted space to set up shop in the pedestrian subways. According to the sources in the department, this step would also help improve the usage and safety aspects in these facilities.
The department, which has cleared the proposals, will soon send the designs to the Chennai Metrorail for technical clearance as the subways pass close to their alignment. The State government has already issued administrative sanction to these facilities and allocated Rs. 20 crore.
The subways are to come up at Little Mount near AGS Church, at MKN Road junction at Guindy, at Koyambedu and near Kasi Theatre and Malladi Drugs on Jawaharlal Nehru Salai. The proposed subways would be wider than the existing ones, which are 4-5 metres. They would be 7 metres wide. The hawkers will be accommodated in 1.5 metres while shoppers can buy goods without affecting pedestrian movement in another 1.5 metres.
K.S. Vishal, a resident of Anna Nagar West Extn., who frequently commutes to Koyambedu, said it would be a wonderful idea to shop inside subways. “The hawkers would not pose a threat to traffic and they will be more organised if they are given the space on rent,” he said.
B.Karunanidhi, General Secretary of Chennai Maanagar Siru Vyabarigal Sangangalin Kootamaippu welcomed the move and suggested that the Chennai Corporation could emulate this idea. “They would earn revenue instead of local goons collecting money. The Hawkers Committee appointed by the Madras High Court was able to accommodate nearly 5,000 persons. The Corporation could perhaps have a tie-up with the Railways and Chennai Metrorail to allot space in Metro and MRTS stations for hawkers,” he said.
Keywords: pedestrian subways, hawkers, Hawkers Committee
The article is not clear whether the shops will be on both sides of pedestrian passageway or on oneside.The plan may not work if shops are allowed on bothsides of the passageway. It appears that the subway planners have not allowed standing room space for shoppers in front of the shops and for space that will be occupied by shop keepers in front of the store. The plan looks good on drawing board. Planners can take study tour of Delhi's underground shopping near Connaught Place. Fire fighting is another issue to be dealt with planners since the shops would definitely carry flammable goods.
Let them make space for pedestrians also ---with my experience out of the existing subways especially park subway.
It is a excellent idea but implementing it strictly is the problem.
The govt provides space with shutters but the hawkers will utilize the
space for storing things by extending beyond their area to spread the
wares. Provision stores, two wheeler repairers, vessel merchants or
take any vendors - they will occupy the road area where the
pedestrians walk. Also if the govt allocates say ten shops in any
area, three times the allocated sellers will be flocking that area.
Unless strict enforcement of space utilized and numbers of vendors by
the govt, the pedestrians will suffer.
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