THANJAVUR: Deepavali sales this year is dull compared to last year, say traders here. This, they said may be due to lack of flow of money in the hands of people from many walks of life.
Thanjavur being an agrarian district, farmers and farm labourers form the major chunk of consumers. Deepavali sales will peak whenever they take a bumper short term crop i.e. Kuruvai. The short-term crop is a money spinner and the money will be in the hands of farmers at the time of Deepavali, which falls on Sunday this year.
But farmers are a dejected lot today. 'Kuruvai' could not be raised in canal-irrigated areas for want of water as Mettur dam was not opened on the traditional June 12 date.
However, 'kuruvai' was raised in pump-set irrigated areas. But rain at the time of harvest and problems in selling paddy at Direct Purchase Centres of the Tamil Nadu Civil Supplies Corporation, left them with hardly any cash.
Farmers also complain that most of them have not yet received crop insurance compensation and also Gaja cyclone relief. Gaja struck last November and devastated Orathanadu, Pattukottai, Peravurani areas of Thanjavur district.
But with only two more days left for the festival of lights, busy Gandhi road in Thanjavur town, roadside shops on Gandhi road, Abraham pandithar road, around old bus stand saw some crowds on Thursday. People preferred roadside shops to purchase textiles than big shops. A textile shop owner said, “sales are yet to pick up. We hope to do at least the sales we did last year, if not more”.
Crackers, sweets have come to the market, but sales is yet to pick up. The traders hope to do a good business at least in the next two days. Thanjavur city police have put in place public announcement to guide people in the busy roads.
Shifting of old bus stand (reconstructed under smart city programme) from the original place to a temporary venue opposite the Transport corporation depot also has a bearing on the depressed sales as people could not reach Gandhi road, the retail hub, easily.
