India News | Kozhikode's Sweetmeat Street Has High Hopes from Upcoming Kerala Assembly Polls

By Amiya Kumar Kushwaha

Kozhikode (Kerala) [India], March 21 (ANI): For shopkeepers at Sweetmeat Street, history of which dates back to the time of the erstwhile Zamorin rulers, when they invited Gujarati sweet makers to set up shop here, the expectations from political parties in Kerala Assembly polls are high.

The upcoming Kerala Assembly elections came as a hope of a new beginning after the business of the shops in the street were worst hit due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

According to the district convenor of Kerala Vyapari Vyavasayi Ekopana Samithi C P Abdurahman, the governments has given several kinds of assistance to the local businessman by reducing the municipal taxes, building taxes and granted other rebates.

He said that the merchants have come up with a set of demands after COVID-19 cases arose, and those demands have been addressed by the government.

However, some of the shopkeepers expressed unhappiness with the government and said that the government has not met their expectations.

One of the shopkeepers said that the local authorities failed to manage the crowd and social distancing when the government began to give relaxation in the lockdown.

But, many merchants in Sweetmeat Street expressed their satisfaction with the government policies of providing various facilities including free ration during the lockdown.

As the government has granted some relaxation and the city once again is witnessing tourists, SM street is getting back on track again.

The increase in the number of visitors to this famous destination has also brought relief to shopkeepers, who were reeling under loss.

As now their business is improving, the merchants have expected that the government will provide them with various kinds of assistance including financial aid.

The owner of Pulari Sweets, which is operating at Sweetmeat Street since 1927, has appreciated the local government for helping them during the lockdown.

Akhil Rahman, who is staffer in Pulari Sweets, said that the government has done a good job by distributing free rations to them during the lockdown and said that he is expecting the same party to form the next government.

However, another shopkeeper complained that the government has failed to manage the distribution of free rations and other basic necessities to the people. The shopkeeper said that the government has not addressed their issues relating to loss to business in a proper manner.

For a cloth merchant named Hussain Koya, his expectations from the government are to get some remedies to run its shop efficiently.

Hussain Koya told ANI that the government has really done a good job during the pandemic period and now he is expecting that the government should support them and meet their demands. He also requested that the government should make some policies to address their financial issues.

Firos, another merchant said that COVID-19 has caused a huge problem in their business. He praised the present LDF government for providing better facilities during the five years tenures.

Sweetmeat Street is known as Mittai Theruvu, has flourished in the course of time to become a shopping hub in the heart of the district. It's the biggest sweet selling street in Kerala.

The election for 140-member Kerala Assembly will be held on April 6. The counting of votes will take place on May 2. (ANI)

(The above story is verified and authored by ANI staff, ANI is South Asia's leading multimedia news agency with over 100 bureaus in India, South Asia and across the globe. ANI brings the latest news on Politics and Current Affairs in India & around the World, Sports, Health, Fitness, Entertainment, & News. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)