It’s no more a commercial hub
When the city’s tallest building was first opened for commercial activity, the response was heartening with all 126 shop space rented out in a quick span of time, even to the surprise of the builder, the Kerala State Housing Board (KSHB).
A year down the line, the story is different. Deserted alleys guide you to the one-time shops at the revenue tower located on Park Avenue road opposite the children’s park.
Some shuttered rooms have recovery notices pasted all over them. Owners found that the expected number of customers were not turning up at their shops.
“The centre itself is known as the commissioner’s office and few see it as a shopping centre. The ambience is another reason.
The building is such that there is no arrangement for air circulation or light. Further there is no water connection in any of the rooms,” says Kochumon who runs a snack shop.
The few who still run shops, often find it hard to meet the monthly rent that begins from `7000 onwards. With closed shops, most tenants have faulted in monthly rents, leading to eviction of some of them.
“Last month, we evicted six of them. This is now a regular feature with many of them defaulting in rent payment,” a top KSHB official said.
With the high rate of evictions, the KSEB has now decided to conduct auctions every Thursday.
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