Merchants in Chennai’s Washermenpet area will shut their shops on October 6, demanding the removal of street vendors from footpaths along MC Road and Gollavar Agaram Road, while also pressing the Greater Chennai Corporation to complete the MC Road Pedestrian Plaza and resolve parking problems.
The planned shutdown has been called by members of the Madras Washermenpet Cut Piece Cloth Merchants’ Association. The association said traders’ livelihoods had been severely affected during the three-year construction period and that the project’s remaining works should be completed quickly now that the pedestrian plaza is nearing completion.
The merchants have demanded the removal of shops encroaching on footpaths within the plaza. They have also asked the civic body to clear display boards and shop extensions placed in pedestrian areas by merchants, in addition to removing roadside vendors occupying the footpaths.
R Mohamed Farook, secretary of the association, said the shutdown was intended to protect the livelihood and welfare of traders on MC Road and GA Road. He told DT Next that roadside shops on footpaths were prohibited in the area under a Madras High Court order and that the pedestrian plaza had been declared a non-vending zone.
Farook claimed that more than 250 vendors had encroached on the entire stretch of MC Road and GA Road. He also said that the widening of the footpaths, compared with the earlier layout, had created more space for street vendors to occupy the pedestrian plaza.
The dispute places the plaza’s intended pedestrian function alongside the commercial activity that has developed around the roads. The merchants are seeking enforcement against vendors and encroachments, while the corporation is also required to manage access, parking and the use of public space around a busy retail area.
Ramesh Ramadoss, a resident of Old Washermenpet, said residents welcomed the pedestrian plaza but remained concerned about parking. He questioned whether parking space at Robinson Park would be sufficient for the large crowds visiting MC Road. He also called for cleanliness and regular maintenance of the plaza after its completion.
GCC Commissioner GS Sameeran said the civic body had requested Royapuram MLA KV Vijay Damu to engage with the public to improve the situation on the ground. Sameeran said vehicle parking remained a key challenge and warned that continued parking on pavements could worsen the problem.
“The GCC will hold discussions with both merchants and vendors to address the matter,” Sameeran said, according to DT Next.
A senior Chennai Corporation official said the pedestrian plaza project was nearing completion and that the remaining works were expected to be completed within 15 days. The official said dedicated parking facilities would be arranged near Robinson Park. The corporation’s discussions with merchants and vendors, along with the completion of the remaining plaza works, are expected to determine how the area’s pedestrian space and commercial activity are managed.