more-in Merchants at S.M. Street here are going through a tough phase, with business hitting a new low. Whatever the reason for the phase be, it is having a toll on the livelihood of labourers. Several shop owners have reduced their staff strength, as they are not able to keep afloat with low income and high expenditure. “Large shops, especially textile showrooms, have sacked several labourers all of a sudden citing low business,” said P. Viji, State secretary of Asanghatita Meghala Thozhilali Union based at S.M. Street. “Some have been forced to go on leave for days on end. It adversely affects the livelihood of such labourers who are mostly daily wage workers,” she added. Meanwhile, merchants cited the ban on traffic on S.M. Street as the reason behind the poor business. In fact, the Vyapari Vyavasayi Samiti is observing a strike on Tuesday demanding that the traffic be re-instated. They claimed that business had been poor ever since the street was closed down for renovation, and the complete traffic ban post-renovation has affected the inflow of customers, especially because the authorities have made no arrangements for parking outside the street. “If the ban is not lifted at least partially to allow two-wheelers, we are going to face a serious problem,” Ms. Viji said. However, many merchants do not blame the ban on traffic alone for the crisis. “Traffic ban constitutes only 25% of the problem. Business has been low ever since demonetisation, and GST added to it. Besides, it is off-season now, after Id-Ul-Fitr, and then there is rain,” said Abdul Saleem, a merchant on Moideen Pally Road, an annexe of S.M. Street. Explaining the situation of merchants’, he said: “Merchants on this street are not an affluent lot, though there are exceptions. Most of them have the burden of loans on them. Labourers can seek employment elsewhere too. Merchants have nowhere to go.” Vyapari Vyavasayi Samiti district president Abdul Gafoor said business had been low across Kozhikode city of late and claimed ignorance of mass dismissal of labourers.

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