THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: It will be raining umbrellas at the 400-year-old Chalai Market, in the state capital. Its heritage streets will soon be enveloped by the technicolour resplendence of floating umbrellas, similar to the umbrella streets in France and Hungary.
Smart City Thiruvananthapuram Ltd (SCTL) has come up with the ‘Umbrella Street’ project, to give a much-needed facelift to the centuries-old market, which carries the rich legacy of Travancore. This is a popular concept that has been implemented by many countries, including Nepal, Turkey, Spain, and France, said an SCTL official. “The umbrella street concept will help attract tourists and make the market a more vibrant and happening place.
The project is feasible for Chalai because its streets are devoid of high-rises. East Fort is a major commercial and tourism hub, with the Sree Padmanabhaswamy temple attracting scores of tourists. We want them to make their way to the market,” said the official.
Revamping the historical market has been a long-pending demand. “Several projects were taken up, but none of them materialised,” said an official. After several rounds of discussions, Transport Minister and local MLA Antony Raju has given the go-ahead for the Chalai redevelopment project.
In order to implement the project, SCTL is planning to restrict the entry of vehicles on the main arterial road from East Fort. “We will limit the stretch to pedestrians and umbrella installations will give a fresh look to the market. The overhead cables will be moved underground. This will be the focus of phase one. We are hoping to implement the project within six months,” said the official.
In order to restrict vehicular movement, SCTL is planning to build three multilevel car parking facilities in the Chalai area. SCTL is gearing up to launch work on two of the eleven roads in the market from next week.
Corporation secretary Binu Francis told TNIE, “There will be eight entry points to the market and arched entrances with heritage elements will be an added attraction. The components of the project are less complicated and we will be able to implement them within the deadline. We have engaged K-Rail to finalise the project,” said Binu.
Traders have welcomed the project. “The market is in dire straits and the majority of traders have been running up huge losses. Business continues to be bad for us all. We want authorities to implement the project without delay,” said S Dileep, general secretary of the Kerala Vyapari Vyavasayi Ekopana Samithi’s Chalai unit. He said that without the project, the future of traders looks bleak.
“We want more people to visit the market and for that, the situation should improve and we are very happy with the concept presented to us. We will extend all our support for the execution of the project,” Dileep added.