Kochi: The more than 600 traders in Panampilly Nagar area who have been facing threat of closure of their commercial firms are having a sigh of relief as the LSGD minister A.C. Moideen on Tuesday has promised measures to resolve their issues.
The minister promised that the traders will not be evicted from the area and the government will seek Advocate General’s intervention into the matter. The minister was talking to the complainants who came to the Kochi Corporation’s adalat to raise their grievances.
Though based on the proposal of the Kochi Corporation, the state government has announced Panampilly Nagar as mixed zone, the High Court has recently asked the civic administration to close down the shops citing violation of license norms.
As per the ease of doing business, shops or commercial establishments can be closed down only if a police officer who is not below the rank of CI certifies them as threat to life. Since the shops in Panampilly Nagar pose no such threat, the government will take necessary measures to protect the traders, the minister said.
