Will the bustle be back at T Nagar?

CHENNAI: Pongal is just five days away, but the usually busy Ranganathan Street is devoid of life, as anxious employees of the sealed shopping establishments wait eagerly for the Chennai Metropolitan Development Authorities (CMDA) to unseal shops after Monday’s Supreme Court order. “We are yet to get the order in hand,” said a CMDA source, as the wait gets longer. But then there is a ray of hope among the employees, who, after hearing about the SC order, rushed back to the shops hoping to  get some monetary help from their employers. “It has been more than two months and we have been struggling to eke out a living,” said Ebenezer, an employee of Jayachandran Textiles and the sole-breadwinner of a family of four. When asked about the SC order, his eyes lit up, but faded away quickly. “We are satisfied, but want the shops to be opened permanently,” he added. The women workers, however, lambasted the media, whom they blamed for the problem. “What were you doing when we were struggling for the last two months?” a woman employee asked. An employee of Saravana Stores said that they were not satisfied with the order that calls for unsealing of the shops for six weeks. “Is it okay to eat only for six weeks?” he asked, adding that the shops should be opened permanently. Pandian, who is from  Koodankulam and works in Shanmugam Stores, said telegrams had been sent to the employees in Tirunelveli. He said he was satisfied that there would be some respite through the SC order and hoped it would last longer.But now the biggest challenge is to get back the workforce and overcome the hurdles within six weeks. “How will I get the employees to work for me when they know they will be here only for six weeks?,” asked Vasanthi, owner of Shree Tailors. “We have been facing huge problems after the shops were sealed. Even wedding attires got stuck,” she said, ruing the fact that she had lost more than `5 lakh after the Annamma building was sealed.For the employees, the SC order, however, has come as a respite, as they look forward to getting back to work after 70 days.