There was an almost complete closure of all shops in Udhagamandalam Town on Thursday in solidarity with the merchants at the Ooty Municipal Market, who had downed shutters to protest a multi-fold rent increase announced by the municipality.
According to J. Ravi Kumar, secretary of the Ooty Municipal Market Merchants’ Association, all the shop owners in the market and other buildings rented out by the municipality were paying a monthly rent of ₹ 2.5 crore, which, with the new rents, would be increased to ₹ 13.5 crore. “We simply cannot bear such a huge increase in rent,” said Mr. Ravi Kumar.
The merchants at the market are ready to pay up to ₹ 5 crore cumulatively to the municipality, but the new rates are simply not viable, they say. They have demanded that the municipality review and roll back the proposed rent structure.
Tourists were the most affected with almost all shops and departmental stores being closed from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m.
According to J. Ravi Kumar, secretary of the Ooty Municipal Market Merchants’ Association, all the shop owners in the market and other buildings rented out by the municipality were paying a monthly rent of ₹ 2.5 crore, which, with the new rents, would be increased to ₹ 13.5 crore. “We simply cannot bear such a huge increase in rent,” said Mr. Ravi Kumar.
The merchants at the market are ready to pay up to ₹ 5 crore cumulatively to the municipality, but the new rates are simply not viable, they say. They have demanded that the municipality review and roll back the proposed rent structure.
Tourists were the most affected with almost all shops and departmental stores being closed from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m.