Chalai merchants’ association seeks govt aid for fire-affected shop owners

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Small scale merchants at Chalai bazaar are coming together to help their peers who suffered serious losses during the fire mishap in April. Already they have amassed Rs 26,000 for the merchants to resume their business. It was on April 12, a fire broke out at Chalai and caused severe loss to two shops. One shop was totally gutted and all the electrical goods and furniture stocked in the shop were burnt completely.Shop owner Abdul Khadar’s loss due to the fire was around Rs 10 lakh .
“These merchants definitely need some help. We are doing whatever little we can to help them. But the amount is too small and hence we are planning to approach the state government for more aid,” said Mohammad Sidhique, president of vyapari vyavasayi ekopana samithi (Chalai-Kothuval unit).
The merchants association will present a memorandum to the state government seeking sufficient aid for the merchants who are mired in debts following the fire mishap. The merchants are also deeply worried that such events may recur in the future.
“The market seems to be prone to frequent fire attacks. Every time when something happens, we are promised action. But once the initial din is over, nobody cares to visit the place. Often merchants are left in serious trouble after every fire mishap. The crammed shops are a major problem,” said Sidhique.
The association is also planning to present a letter detailing the need to improve the conditions of Chalai market. “Earlier the authorities had planned a major project for the Chalai market. We will also request the government to step up the efforts to implement the project in a time-bound manner,'' he said.