THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: On the eve of Thiruvonam, the capital city witnessed Uthradapachil, with prominent market areas being flooded with people who came out for last-minute shopping to celebrate Onam. Despite the challenges posed by the pandemic, Onam frenzy in Thiruvananthapuram is on, with almost every street leading to Chalai, Palayam and MG Road — three popular shopping areas — taken over by shoppers and pedestrians. Many feel that Onam festivities are almost back to normal compared to the previous year.
According to traders, the government decision to bring relaxations early helped the markets regain momentum to some extent and avoid last-minute crowding. Sectoral magistrates were deployed at popular shopping destinations and shops to ensure that shops are following the protocol. However, the authorities are struggling to manage the heavy rush. An average of 300 cases of violations of Covid protocol are being recorded daily ever since the opening up for Onam.
On Friday, Chalai market was seen buzzing with activities from morning. Sudan G, a wayside lemon seller, said things are finally looking better this Onam. “People are coming to the market and the past few days have been pretty good for everyone. We were apprehensive as there was very little business last Onam. Hope the government will not bring back the restrictions. It’s almost back to normal now,” says Sudan, who has been doing business at Chalai for the past 20 years.
The shops selling flowers at Chalai have been witnessing huge turnout of buyers. A Sreekumar, who has been running a flower shop for the past 30 years at Chalai, said compared to the previous year, the business is better this time. “Normally, we do around Rs 1 lakh worth of business per day during Onam and days running up to it. Yesterday, we got around Rs 20,000 worth of business which is less. But as compared to last year’s Onam, it’s much better,” said Sreekumar.
Anitha G, a shopper, said festive spirit is high this year. “I am scared of the crowds, so I am planning to buy only essentials this Onam. Considering the Covid situation, we need to be more careful. Things are looking pretty normal everywhere but we have to keep ourselves safe,” says Anitha.
According to traders, they have done better business for the past three days and are hoping to do better after Onam too. “Before the pandemic, we used to get good business for around 10 days, in the runup to Onam and this year, it has been shrunk to three days. I have suffered a loss of Rs 20 lakh ever since the pandemic and have been struggling to maintain the employees and the business. Lockdown means no revenue and, literally, no business and multiplying debts,” said K Padmakumar, who runs a textile shop at Kaithamukku for the past 65 years.
Sindhu K, another shopper, said she did no shopping last year. “This year, we are trying to celebrate Onam, at least in a small way. I wait outside the shops if there is crowding and enter only when there are fewer people,” said Sindhu.
Authorities struggle to manage crowding
Despite the rise in the test positivity rate (TPR) and the restrictions, people came out in large numbers for shopping, putting the authorities in a tight spot. The sectoral magistrates deployed by the district administration, the police and the special squad deployed by the city corporation are struggling to manage the crowd and enforce the restrictions.
Aneesh Kumar B, district nodal officer of sectoral magistrates, said the capital witnessed a heavy rush in the past couple of days. “We have deployed sectoral magistrates at shops witnessing heavy rush. The other day, we had to down the shutters of the shops to manage the crowd. But this caused more crowding outside and it’s not easy to book anyone for violations because the situation is not controllable. Today also, we are expecting the same situation. Traders are doing their best to minimise crowding. It’s not easy if the public doesn’t cooperate,” said Aneesh Kumar.
Kerala Vyapari Vyavasayi Ekopana Samithi general secretary Manoj S S said the business has slightly picked up during Onam. “People are more vigilant now and there are positive changes in the behaviour of the public. Things would have been worse if the government had decided to open up the market immediately before Onam,” said Manoj.
Many say they are buying only essentials. Traders claim sales better than last year, but not as good as pre-Covid days
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According to traders, the government decision to bring relaxations early helped the market pick up to some extent and avoid last-minute crowding. Sectoral magistrates were deployed at popular shopping destinations and shops to ensure that shopping was done following the protocol. However, the authorities are struggling to manage the heavy rush. An average of 300 cases of violations of Covid protocol are being recorded ever since the opening up for Onam. The shops selling flowers at Chalai have been witnessing a huge turnout of buyers.