KOCHI: MG Road, Kerala's business street, is moving towards doom. The past year and a half has been a trying one for the business establishments here due to the slow pace of Kochi Metro work. The business hub today when compared to what is was 500 days back sadly resembles the city of Auburn in Oliver Goldsmith's 'The Deserted Village'. Traders here rue that the same fate that befell Mattancherry Jews Street is in store for MG Road too.
Promises Yet to Pay
It was trumpeted that Metro will triple the business at MG Road, but the reality is that even the trading that used to take place has gone down sharply, going as low as 40%. The ongoing construction has led to a decline in customers due to the bad roads and lack of parking facilities. Customer influx has dropped by by 75%.
"The worst is yet to come," they cry. "KMRL is coming up with road beautification proposals that will further delay the business from catching up on the lag at least by another two years."
Alarmed, the merchants here have come together to form a group to minimize damage. They call the group 'MG Road Merchants' Association'. Community members who trade in gold, textiles, footwear and are in hotel business are in the association with Riyaz (Abad Hotels) as the president.
MG Road Merchants' Association demands:
KMRL has proposed walking street model on one side of MG Road. This will dissuade customers for want of easy vehicular access
Both sides of the Road should permit free flow of traffic, one-way cannot be allowed
Marked parking slots should be allowed on both sides on a fee
Multi floor car parking facility should be provided on select points of MG Road to ensure easy access to shops
Gangtok in Sikkim where they converted their MG Road similarly attracted tourists and visitors but not serious buyers. Traders along MG Road desperately looks for genuine buyers
Buses and commercial vehicles should not be allowed during business hours
KMRL reported that they are negotiating with 11 land owners to use their land for parking which can accommodate 250 cars. There is a requirement for parking of minimum of 1,000 vehicles on both sides
Existing width of both sides should be maintained with proper tarring of the road surface
All electric posts should be removed and underground cabling should be provided
Footpath should be maintained with the same existing width but it has to be levelled to make walking comfortable for public
Frequent speed breakers should be installed so that vehicles will not use MG Road to by-pass the main road
Association seeks redress of their huge loss and irrecoverable damage
(The author is coordinator of MGRMA-MG Road Merchants' Association)