Lack of civic sense adds to shoppers woes

CHENNAI: Taking a leisurely walk through the streets of T Nagar could have never been this easy during the days leading up to festivals.During the first half of Tuesday, Usman Road, from the T Nagar terminus leading to Panagal Park, hardly had any crowd as very few were seen doing their lastminute shopping. Those who had waded their way through the slushy roads were happy to experience a rare T Nagar, one that was not crowded.Roads leading to North Usman Road and Pondy Bazaar, that would usually be jammed with vehicles, witnessed steadily flowing traffic and almost empty pavements. Shopkeepers, who said that T Nagar would see more crowd than usual on the eve of Deepavali, blamed the rain for the dull day. Business at big stores that would generally be overflowing with customers was visibly dull as salesmen waited for customers to come in. “Usually, there would be more crowd on the last day. But I guess people do not want to risk shopping in the heavy rain,” said a salesman working at a big store.And even the few people who opted for last minute shopping regretted having done so as they had to wade through slush and flooded streets.Ranganathan Street only displayed a decaying civic sense among the shopkeepers, what with slush and garbage piled up in the middle of the narrow lane.It forced people to frog leap their way across.“I knew it would be crowded on Deepavali eve but never thought T Nagar could get so dirty,” said Aravind of Kodambakkam, who, in a sarcastic tone added, “However, you don’t have to worry about getting your feet dirty by walking in the slush in Ranganathan street.You can have them cleaned by walking on the flooded roads near Panagal Park.” While shopkeepers were worried that rain would play spoilsport, the few women, who were busy making Deepavali purchases, were surprised that could shop in such a leisurely fashion.“Thanks to the rain,” said Rekha, who walked out of a popular store with a handful of shopping bags. “Our city needs rain though it can’t handle heavy showers. I did not have the time to shop all these days. Today is the only day. I presumed it would be crowded but now, I am surprised. I finished shopping for my family in an hour’s time,” she added.