Chennai: While arterial roads like Anna Salai and Poonamallee high road sported a deserted look due to bandh, Pallavaram market off GST Road was crowded with customers. Being a holiday, the market saw more crowd than other Fridays, bringing good profit to traders. The irony is that party cadres who blocked the trains at Chromepet failed to notice the busy life at the market, which is just 3.5 km from the station.
The weekly Pallavaram market held on Old Trunk Road two km Tirusulam gate is a hub for small time shopaholics as one can find spare parts to flex boards, books to electronic equipment and pets to antique equipment. A commuter at Tirusulam railway station admitted that he had bought fish from the Pallavaram market. “The market is lively. I am surprised that the market is unaffected by the strike,” said the commuter from St Thomas Mount who had traveled till Pallavaram to buy meat. A tea seller, Muthu Ganesh, at the market echoed the same view as he had sold five cans of tea – against the normal three on any other Friday.
People from bordering districts of Andhra Pradesh also visit the market to buy pet animals for a considerably lower price. “If an agitation had happened here, people from other states would have got a bad impression about us. I am glad the day went peaceful,” said trader Kumaran.
