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Follow UsThe name '
Street ' rings a
familiar bell for anyone wanting to buy electronic goods in Chennai.
The street deals with all kinds of electronics and computer parts,
accessories etc. Located in Chintradripet, this narrow street is home
to more than 200 dealers. Its close proximity to Mount Road and Anna
Salai which are in the heart of the city, makes it more accessible
People believe that any kind of electronic goods can be found
here at really low prices.
Being a one-way street, dealers face
heavy traffic movement throughout the day.
Jain
of First Lap said, “We request the concerned
authorities to ban all the vehicles on the road. Already the road is
narrow and is clogged at different places, people find it difficult
to walk due to traffic. The street is also occupied by many hawkers
who sit on the pavements and pose difficulties to the shopkeepers as
well as pedestrians.” Clarifying Jain further said, “Usually we
do not ask hawkers to leave since they sit in a corner. They do not
bother us that much. But because of the traffic, most of our
potential customers avoid coming to Ritchie Street and as a result
our business gets hit.”
Dhiraj Kumar Jain of SB Infotech said,
“Apart from traffic another persistent problem which we face is
that the area is very dirty. Even after numerous complaints, nothing
concrete has been done for the area. Each time a complaint is made to
the Corporation, they take action just for a day or two.”
Jain continued, “The hawkers get to
know a day in advance about raids so they do not come that particular
day. Once the raid is done, they are back to their positions and
start their business again. The Corporation authorities must take
some measures to control them.”
Ritchie
Street has three other adjacent lanes namely Meeran
Sahib Road, Waller's Road and Narasingapuram Street, the entire
area is always clogged with traffic in spite of intervention of
police personnel. Also, power cuts are inevitable during summers.
Recently dealers stayed without power for almost three day
Jain
further said, “Already the temperature has shot up to
40 degrees and with power cuts almost two to three hours each day, it
is impossible to sit inside. We have to keep generators or UPS
running which is an additional expense. For
month now the power supply
has been erratic and is continuing to be the same.”
The Secretariat building is posing a
new set of problems to the dealers. Because of the presence of police
personnel, movement of materials is becoming difficult. Sai Murali of
Magnum Computers said, “Even though the area is now secure, moving
materials is becoming a huge problem. Traffic was always heavy but
because of the restrictions,
walk-ins
have reduced considerably. There are guys who indulge
in pirated selling also.”
Even though dealers have approached
various associations and government officials, nothing has been done
to solve the problems. The DQ Week urges the concerned
authorities to look into the matter and help the dealer community at
large.