Onam festivities spilled out to the street as Onam shopping and preparations reached a crescendo on Thursday.
Shopping centres, fairs and main thoroughfares saw huge crowds, especially in the evening. With most shops and commercial establishments remaining closed on Thiruvonam on Friday, the last minute rush for shopping was palpable on Thursday, which was also a government holiday.
The main shopping centres in the city — Chalai Bazaar, East Fort, Palayam and Thampanoor — remained crowded throughout the day. Business was brisk at the various fairs and bazaars opened in different parts of the city as part of Onam.
The Onam fairs opened by government departments remained the main crowd pullers this year as well, with their discount rates and subsidies. Chief Minister Oommen Chandy visited the Onam Bazaar organised by Consumerfed at LMS Compound on Thursday.
The Agriculture Department has organised fairs under Vegetable and Fruit Promotion Council Kerala (VFPCK), Horticorp and State Horticulture Mission as part of its market intervention strategy to standardise vegetable prices during the festive season.
The VFPCK fair held at a plot of land opposite Public Library registered sales of around Rs.11 lakh in four days. Around 44 tonnes of vegetables and plantain were sold at the fair, said district manager S.K. Suresh.
Around 40, 000 people visited the State-Level Mega Fair of the State Horticulture Mission at the Thycaud Police Grounds. “We offered discount between 30 and 50 per cent at the fair. Most of produces sold at the fair were directly procured from farmers in Kerala. This has benefited both the farmers and the consumers. Around 25 tonnes of plantain procured from district were sold from the fair apart from vegetables brought from Idukki,” said Mission director K. Prathapan. The total turnover at the Horticulture Mission fair was around Rs 10 lakh.
Horticorp recorded sales of around Rs.1.2 crore at its six fairs and various Haritha stalls in the district. Horticorp managing director K. Premnath said with the 30 per cent discount offered to consumers, many of the items were sold at prices lower than the procurement price.
Shopping complexes, supermarkets, hotels and textile showrooms also saw brisk business on Thursday. “Although our showroom was opened only recently, we have had tremendous response from the customers. So much so that we had to refill our stock many times to meet the festive demand,'' said Jayalakshmi Silks partner N. Govind Kamath.
The Payasamela organised at Kerala Tourism Development Corporation's (KTDC) Hotel Chaitram had many takers this year as well.
The Payasamela recorded around Rs 7 lakh sales on its penultimate day on Thursday. The hotel is also offering Onasadhya kit. Hotel Chaitram and KTDC's Mascot Hotel will arrange Onasadhya for customers on Friday.
The onasadhya at Mascot Hotel can be booked in advance.
Outside big retail outlets and showrooms, trading was hectic along the streets where hawkers and street vendors had lined up their annual festive spread. However, the ban on street vendors from other States did affect the general business in this sector which caters to the shopping needs of a huge section of consumers.
The upgraded security and parking restraints imposed on the premises Sree Padmanabhaswamy Temple and surrounding areas also made a difference to the shopping scene in the Fort area this year.
Most people had to park their vehicles much away from their destination to avoid traffic snarls.
