CHENNAI: The shopkeepers at Gandhi Market in Ennore on Friday staged a protest against the state highways department’s attempt to demolish their shops located along Kathivakkam High School Road. The demolition drive was halted due to the protest, though the department had issued an ultimatum on May 30, giving shopkeepers seven days to remove all roadside encroachments.
As officials withdrew from the site, they granted shopkeepers another week to remove their structures. Roughly 30 shops located within a 180-metre distance are to be removed. The shopkeepers, who depend on these shops as their sole source of income, are demanding that the government either allocate them space in the upcoming government market complex in Ennore or provide alternative locations nearby.
The state highways department’s notice stated temporary shops from Gandhi Market to Vallalar Nagar have been “encroaching on the road area, obstructing traffic”.
Speaking to TNIE, Kamitha Begum, a utensils shop owner, disputed the “temporary” label while showing rental receipts paid to the corporation. She said, “We paid rent until 2018 before the Covid-19 lockdown, but after restrictions lifted, no one came to collect it.”