Mylapore Metro Rail Work Diverts Traffic and Thins Footfall on Bazaar Road

Ongoing Metro Rail construction that shut down a section of Kutchery Road in Mylapore to regular vehicular traffic has diverted movement and led to a noticeable drop in footfall for heritage merchants along neighbouring Bazaar Road.

While Devadi Street and Nadu Street have been turned into busy corridors funnelling vehicles from North Mada Street and Appu Street towards Santhome High Road, the pedestrian shopping climate on Bazaar Road has grown increasingly strained. Circuitous detours have discouraged casual shoppers, impacting enterprises that have operated on the stretch for decades.

At Sri Jayakumar Flour Mill and Sri Jayakumar Oil Stores, a 70-year-old establishment run by brothers A. Bhaskar and A. Kumar, grinding machines continue to run amidst the noise of tunnel-boring machines on Kutchery Road. The mill relies on loyal patrons seeking custom grinding for rice, gram, wheat, turmeric, vermilion, ragi, postnatal health mixes, and herbal bath powder (nalangu maavu). Bhaskar noted that while changing consumer preference for packaged foods has altered buying habits, the Metro Rail work has significantly worsened access. He added that reopening even a single access route across the affected Kutchery Road stretch could help restore pedestrian traffic.

Similar challenges confront New Shiva Country Drugs and Herbals, an outlet nearly 90 years old operated by R. Prakash. Established by his grandfather, the shop sells traditional remedies alongside pooja items, dry fruits, and bamboo products. Prakash explained that while seasonal demands bring spikes in visits, competition from online country medicine platforms and physical access constraints have tested retailers. The shop maintains a network of branches at Thanithurai Market and North Mada Street to help retain business.

For third-generation earthen pot vendor Gunasundari N., the reduced road accessibility has exacerbated existing shifts toward stainless steel and aluminium cookware. Gunasundari sources her pots from Thiruneermalai in Chengalpattu district and the Arani-Periyapalayam belt in Thiruvallur district because she lacks the space and resources to manufacture them locally. Her elderly father-in-law, a traditional potter, can no longer operate the wheel.

Despite recording zero earnings on certain days and muted sales during major festive seasons like Pongal and Deepavali, merchants on Bazaar Road continue operating their counters, holding on to long-standing trade traditions amid civic infrastructure changes.