Old shopping complexes in city go to the dogs

Thiruvananthapuram: The old shopping complexes in the city have become remnants of a past memory.
On a closer look, the reasons are quite obvious. With no proper maintenance, stinking surroundings, stained walls and non-functional lifts, the shopping complexes run by TRIDA are now in a dilapidated condition.
“I started the shop in 1994. In my memory, only once has the building been repainted. The rent increases by Rs 1,000 every year. But had they done the maintenance for it, we would have more sales and thus be in a better situation to pay. Many store owners have left saying that they cannot manage the rent,” said Shyam Kumar, a stationery shop owner at Kedaram shopping complex of Kesavadasapuram.
The shopkeepers are enraged with the condition of the building where even basic facilities are compromised. “The cleanliness of washrooms depends entirely on the cleaning staff assigned. The stench is sometimes unbearable. This place has little to no maintenance done in years, but they do collect a maintenance fee every month,” said Alphonsa Thomas, another shopkeeper.
With sales plummeting after the pandemic hit, the emergence of newer malls in the city with better facilities adds to the woes of shopkeepers here. On more than one occasion the shopkeepers complained to the concerned authorities regarding the situation, but it has elicited no clear resolution. A recent construction of washrooms at the front, taking up space from the parking lot, has also stopped midway citing lack of funds.
The TRIDA complex at Medical College, the precursor to Kedaram, faces problems of a different kind. “Customers often get irked by the packed parking spaces and leave. The area’s roads, which are also in a bad shape due to potholes, are mainly occupied by vehicles of those who come to the hospital and nearby places. There have been days when even the shop owners have not found vacant parking spots,” says Bindu Rajan, owner of a clothing store.