With the Nipah virus infection having been brought under control, trading activity in Kozhikode is limping back to normality after a fortnight-long lull.
People have started venturing out with families, but are cautious of course. Business is slowly picking up momentum at the commercial Sweet Meat Street, Moideen Palli Road, Court Road, Valiyaangadi (Big Bazaar), and Palayam. Nightlife, usually busy in the month of Ramzan, is slowly returning.
“Shoppers are thronging the textile showrooms since Id is just round the corner. However, many are still reluctant to visit restaurants and similar outlets. The scare has forced families to remain indoors. Only a moderate crowd turns up on the beach. Certainly the situation has improved from the initial days of the Nipah scare,” P.S. Abdul Gafoor, businessman on the Oasis Compound, said.
He also attributed the panic to the confusion created in the media and the scaremongering through social media. “In fact, the Nipah scare has devastated not only the trade in Kozhikode city but all economic activity in the district,” Mr. Gafoor said.
Family crowds a rarity
There is some life in shopping malls in the city with youngsters appearing in groups. But family crowds are a rarity. “Possibly one of the reasons is that multiplex at the malls have stopped screening films. Some of the cinema halls have been closed too, ” R.A. Dileepkumar, a former mall manager and consultant said, adding that retail shops had been affected on account of different reasons, including the high rental cost.
Seasonal business hit
“The decrease in customer footfall is so conspicuous at the shopping centres that even branded showrooms face a slump in business during the Ramzan season, ” he said. The revenue of the KSRTC and Railways has also drastically come down.
Seasonal business, especially the fruits market and school reopening sales, has been hit. The mango season is over in the State and the fruit is now imported from Andhra Pradesh.
“The majority of the traders have borrowed from banks to run their business. They are also facing the burden of storing the commodities,” C.E. Chakkunny, president of the Malabar Development Council, said.
Uncertainty
Mr. Chakkunny, who is also the president of the Goods Distributors Association, said the fears triggered by the Nipah infection was still on the minds of the people.
“Hotel and restaurant business has dropped to 30% in the wake of the Nipah scare. The uncertainty over the reopening of schools is another thing though the administration has announced that the academic year will commence from June 12,” he said.
