On the second day of the drive against unsafe shops on S.M. Street, the district authorities on Tuesday asked 223 shops to shut down. The shop owners were served closure notice as per the Disaster Management Act by a combined squad of officials.
The inspections are being organised with an aim to prevent further fire mishaps in the area, and also as a pre-requirement for the S.M. Street Heritage Project, which is already under way. The shop owners were given numerous chances to correct their system as per the norms. Only those shops that failed to follow the norms within the stipulated time have been served closure notice.
The combined squad that consists of officials of Revenue, KSEB, Electrical Inspectorate, Fire, and Corporation Town Planning, had conducted inspections in 710 shops on Tuesday. On Monday they had inspected 604 shops and had issued closure notice to 192 of them.
District Collector U.V. Jose said closure notice was being issued to shops considering the safety of the employees in the shops as well as the public.
Those shops that have been issued notice will be exempted from closure if they complied with the norms within two days.
Renovation under way
Meanwhile, the renovation process of S.M. Street is expected to be completed by the end of July.
In a meeting of officials and merchants held on Tuesday, the Collector pointed out that the merchants were the primary beneficiaries of the project which would convert the heritage street into a safe and beautiful place with more facilities that would attract more customers.
As the first phase of renovation, the electricity, water and telephone lines are being carried through an underground tunnel instead of the overhead cables at present. Trenches have been dug on both sides of the street for the purpose.
The renovated street will have buildings that look similar. Ornate pillars will be put up on both sides of the street while gates will be placed on both ends, the Collector said.
