THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Altogether, a blame game. This is what the Chalai Kothuwal Street, known for wholesale business centres, has been witnessing during the last two months. As the Kerala Vyapari Vyavasayi Ekopana Samithy and the headload workers have geared up for the final showdown, it is the business prospects of the entire area that are receiving a severe beating.Till a few years ago, a harmonious relationship existed between the trading community and the headload workers. But now, it seems there is no love lost between the two groups, with the traders accusing the union activists of being antagonistic towards them.According to Mohamed Sidheeq, Kerala Vyapari Vyavasayi Ekopana Samithi general secretary, the traders are being made to suffer by the union activists, who demand bribe from the lorry drivers entering the street.If the traders or the lorry drivers register their protest, then the union members will seek vengeance by delaying unloading and at times obstructing the vehicles from entering the market. He also said that the lorry drivers had to wait for long as there was an acute shortage of porters to unload the goods.Sidheeq also accused the union members of extorting money from the traders on weekends. “We traders are not slaves. But we are ready to provide all the benefits to the union activists as the law proposes. But they should come forward to find an amicable solution to the issue,” he said.The union leaders, meanwhile, have a different perspective on the issue. INTUC office secretary Selvakumaran Nair refuted the allegations against the union members and said that some traders who were evading taxes were behind the whole controversy."The question of recruiting new employees never arises as the future of the existing 23 union members is already at stake owing to the dwindling business,’’ he said.When asked about fleecing of money from traders on weekends, he made a slip and said that it was limited to traders who had not registered with the Kerala Headload Welfare Board and were evading taxes.CITU leader Chalai Mohanan tried to play down the issue and said that he had not received any such complaints from the trading community. But the situation is likely to take an ugly turn as some union members belonging to the CITU have alleged that an office-bearer of the Vyapari Vyavasayi Ekopana Samithi was trying to whip up communal passions by raising unnecessary allegations against the union members, most of whom belong to a particular community.
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