Sealing spree on CG Rd: Vendors badly hit

Ahmedabad: The AMC's sealing drive in the western part of the city has made many shop owners anxious. Ever since news broke regarding sealing at CG road, business units in this area have registered a heavy drop in footfalls with small vendors being the worst hit.

"I am planning to move my stall to Law Garden as my business has gone down by almost 50%," said a chaat vendor, who feels that customers will return only after the reopening of sealed shops. Currently, his business is totally dependent on customers who throng nearby shopping complexes.

Like him, many other vendors feel that Amdavadis have received a wrong signal about the closure of the shops. "People think that the whole CG Road has been sealed, so they are going to other places to shop and eat, which has proved to be fatal to our business," claimed a Vadapav hawker, whose business has dipped more than 30 % due to this miscommunication.

In their bid to implement fire safety norms, AMC has sealed almost twelve shopping complexes on CG Road. Most of the citizens have welcomed this drive as it would ensure some sort of safety while they throng the bustling shops. Around 1,000 shops and offices have been sealed by AMC officials till date.

Apart from these vendors, many shop owners in this posh area have also experienced a drop in footfalls.
"People came to CG road not only to shop but to have a good time, and we used to benefit, but now the whole cycle has been broken" said a juice shop owner, whose business was dependent on customers who used to be on a leisure visit or undertook window shopping.

Advertisement

Shopowners want people to know that almost 80% shops on this road are still open.Business has also gone down because of employees' absence who worked in these sealed shops. Around 1,200 employees were regular customers at tea stalls, pan shops, vadapav eateries, and other food joints on this road. Their vanishing act has meant vendors are finding it difficult to survive on the reduced income.

Existing shop owners are hoping that sealed shops will reopen to win back customers confidence on one of the thriving shopping hubs of Ahmedabad.Diamond workers to hold rally to protest the AMC's sealing drive that began on November 15, the diamond workers of Thakkarbapa Nagar have organised a protest rally on Monday. As many as 15,000 workers are expected to participate in the rally, demanding re-opening of all the sealed diamond factories in and around Thakkarbapa Nagar.

Advertisement

Thakkarbapa Nagar, which is considered as a diamond polishing hub of the city, employs thousands of workers in hundreds of factories spread across Bapunagar area.

Apart from organising a rally, the factory owners and workers have also declared a 'bandh'. The rally will begin at 10:30 am from Sardar diamond market, going up to Memco and later touching Viratnagar. Few days ago, the workers and factory owners had approached the AMC officials in this regard, but they rejected their demand, citing the high court order.

Advertisement

Copyright restricted. Under license from www.3dsyndication.com