Ooty: The night bazaar concept for summer by closing down the busy Garden road in the arterial part of the town here has annoyed hill residents who want a change in the venue, so that there could be free flow of traffic and hitch-free footpaths on that stretch for pedestrians.
Stating that the night bazaar concept on Garden road is an ill-conceived plan of officialdom looking after the summer festival, Rohit Jain, joint secretary of the Nilgiris Chamber of Commerce and Industry, said, "A maternity hospital in the area is mainly affected by traffic diversion on this road. Diverting vehicles bound for residential areas around the Government Botanical Garden, through the narrow old garden road has agonized local residents and added to frequent traffic snarls. It is ridiculous that roadside hawkers in the day are made to come to the middle of Garden road in the evening hours to run the night bazaar, where quality and hygiene are lacking.”
Officials should change the venue to any other public ground, he said.
Echoing the same views, Shanmugham, a senior citizen and a long-time resident in Garden road area, said that hundreds of dwelling houses are located in the Vandisholai, Vanaarpet, Glenrock and Old Garden road areas located around Garden Road.
"While the summer festival is a decade-old event in the hills, this night bazaar, which gives a nauseating experience, should be scrapped. When the RCTC hall is located nearby, why is the tourist department conducting summer festival cultural shows on the roadside?" he asked.
