Even as the stand-off between merchants and the district administration continues over the ban on vehicles on S.M. Street, a section of traders owing allegiance to the Kerala Vyapari Vyavasayi Ekopana Samithi (KVVES) has expressed their willingness to cooperate with traffic curbs during peak trade hours.
“We have no objection in introducing a convenient restriction on the street that will not trouble trade. However, a total ban on traffic will never be a feasible option and we will not support it at any cost,” said KVVES district general secretary Ashraf Moothedath. He said traders would not be able to cooperate with a full-time vehicle ban as it would stall the movement of goods.
The KVVES leader said the total ban on vehicles would affect hundreds of headload workers on the street and burden them further. They should at least get a convenient slot to unload goods from vehicles on the street, he added.
Even though the district administration considers it to be an experiment to test the response of the public and the comfort of shoppers, the traders’ collective is yet to buy the argument. They have alleged that the district administration has been flouting the promises given to the traders while starting the works.
Pathway
According to a section of merchants in the area, the pathway paved with tiles is “totally unscientific” as it troubles elderly citizens moving along the street. In some of the previous meetings, they had complained that some elders were found stumbling upon the sharp edges of tiles on the pavement.
Meanwhile, Revenue Department officials, who recently inspected works on the street along with Labour Minister T.P. Ramakrishnan, said there was no truth in the arguments of the traders. The work was completed in a scientific manner and any error would be rectified in the final phase, they said.
The officials said the decision to ban the entry of vehicles was taken after thorough study and with the consent of higher authorities concerned. Even Mr. Ramakrishnan had supported the idea after his visit to the spot and permitted the district administration to go ahead with it, they said.
Residents’ associations too are supportive of the district administration’s move to ban vehicles on the street. “We have no such model locations in the city exclusively reserved for pedestrians who want to enjoy a non-polluting and clean environment while shopping. It will definitely set a trend in the city,” said Shamsuddin Mundoly, coordinator of the Coordination of Calicut Residents’ Associations.
