Panaji: Business takes a blow every time 18th June Road floods

PANAJI: When the streets of Panaji are inundated with rainwater, its ripple effects trickle down to business establishments, particularly for shops along 18th June road wherein water encroaches their property. Brief shutdowns for a few hours due to floods and the loss of time and goods invariably translates into reduced efficiency besides being a dent in the day's profits.
Chandrakant Kochrekar, who runs a clothing business along the avenue, said that he faced a loss of Rs two lakh four years ago when rainwater soaked his garments.
"This year, on two occasions the shop was flooded due to which customers couldn't enter. We had to face losses for that day as well," Kochrekar said.
Rohan Zaveri manages Gujarat Lodge, a quick service restaurant selling fast-food. "We rely on moving people for our business. When it rains heavily after 3-4pm which is prime time for my business, the shop gets flooded and water rises to knee-level. It's as good as shutting my business for those hours," he said.
"Also, since we are in the food industry, the hygiene of my kitchen and food is essential. We cannot prepare food without cleaning the place completely first. This loss of time equates to loss of business," he added.
Giriraj Golatkar whose family has owned Shyam Sundar Photography for nearly 45 years said that authorities must either be prepared for flood-related disaster or compensate the business community.
"This season the water levels were higher than usual. The floods destroyed many of our photo albums and damaged our electronics which were kept on the ground level. The government is aware that flooding happens every year yet they're not able to stop it, but they can at least grant us compensation for our losses," Golatkar said.
Shafi Shaikh, a cane furniture store owner, faces at least 20% loss in business each year. "The road becomes inaccessible to walk-in customers and we can do nothing but wait till the flood water recedes. When vehicles pass, they splash more water inside further drenching our goods. Authorities must stop traffic during such hours and pump the flood water out of here," he said.
Manguirish Pai Raikar, of the Goa Chamber of Commerce and Industries (GCCI) is umimpressed with the situation and said that this has an economic impact on the state.
"The shopkeepers lose business for a certain number of hours on those particular days and the flood water entering their shops also is a matter of loss for the owners. Additionally, the cars parked along the road, most of which belong to the shop owners are also affected. There are multiple losses faced by the shopkeepers along 18 June Road. By virtue of GST, the state also loses out on the economy when shopkeepers face loss of revenue for the day day," he said.