KOCHI: Business and trade houses in the city are a worried lot these days with the demolition of the North Railway over-bridge giving way to an overriding fear of a shift in the business to the suburbs.The wholesale market has already lost about one-third of the business and the retail business about half just after the commencement of the demolition that has virtually divided the city into two halves.Both the retail and the wholesale businessmen fear that Ernakulam, which is a major business hub, would soon lose its shine in the coming years with the city being divided into two.As many as 5,000 big and small business establishments have already started bearing the brunt with a part of the RoB being demolished and the traffic diverted. In the coming days, the traders believe that the business would be shifted to other regions outside the city. Abdul Gafoor, managing partner of White Market and Foremost, said that about 50 per cent business had been affected on the MG Road stretch.“It is not only the MG Road stretch but business is going to be affected in the entire city,” he said. The business in the city would be shifted outside of Ernakulam in the coming days as no more buyers are flocking the streets here," he said adding that business had started to flourish in Aluva and Tripunithura.Sulfikar Ali, a member of the Kerala Vyapari Vyavasayi Ekopana Samiti, opined that the division of the city into two parts as part of the demolition of the RoB would have an adverse impact. “The result of the impact has already shown itself. In the coming days, the impact would be severe,” he said.Stating that Ernakulam would be erased from the wholesale map, he said that retailers from Thrissur and other northern parts of Ernakulam who buy goods from the Ernakulam wholesale market may look for other places. “The transportation of goods would become expensive because of the traffic diversion,” he said.The retail market and also the road-side business have been affected much in the city with the business coming down heavily. “There is no possibility of the business coming back,” K K Abdul Kalam, a wayside vendor said. “Our business mainly focusses on the middle class youth who come from outside Ernakulam.A person from Kottayam or Muvattupuzha just had to get down in the city and come straight to Mullassery Canal Road and Boat Jetty. But with the demolition having started, we fear a decrease in the trade as the buyers would go to Aluva and other places where the business has already started to boom,” he said.Moreover, the persons who come in two-wheelers are not aware of the shortcuts and they would not take the pains to enter the city, he added.
Comments
0 comment