Cooler mat makers return to Chandigarh’s Sector 22 market to try their luck

All vendors in the city were evicted by the MC in December 2019 and allotted slots in designated vending zones in Sector 15

Even though street vendors were relocated by the municipal corporation in December 2019, the cooler men of the city are back to their usual spots in Sector 22 behind the government hospital here.

The curve of the road behind the Sector-22 market in Chandigarh was frequented by the vendors where they used to put large mats and window coverings on display. On Tuesday, however, only a few mats could be seen. (Ravi Kumar/HT)

The curve of the road behind the market was frequented by the vendors where they used to put large mats and window coverings on display. On Tuesday, however, only a few mats could be seen.

“Business is over for us now; ever since we were relocated we have barely earned anything. People still associate cooler mats with Sector 22, and we are back on our spots in the heat of May,” says Sheetal Kumar whose family has been making and selling cooler mats in Sector 22 for the past 60 years.

“We are mindful of the Covid-19 crisis and maintain all standards of hygiene,” he says, pointing towards a bottle of sanitizer. He was allocated a spot at the Sector 15 vending zone, but he says it was of no use going there as customers didn’t come to the vending zones to buy cooler mats.

The mats made of vetiver grass (khus khus) that were the specialty of these mat makers remain absent, while only a handful of bamboo and straw mats can be seen now. “We are selling only 10% of the mats that we used to, so we’re only making the simplest and most inexpensive ones,” says Sanju, another mat maker. The mats that used to sell for ₹400 last year are being sold for ₹350 now.

Balwinder Singh, a third generation mat maker, says they aren’t making even 10% of the money they used to back in the day. “Due to the coronavirus outbreak and because of the delayed summer season, not many customers are buying the mats. We have to stay mindful of the MC vehicles passing by as any moment we can be asked to leave. I haven’t been allotted a vending space since December so I came back to set up shop here,” he said.

Local area councillor Ravikant Sharma said he hadn’t passed by this area in the past few days, however, he said that the mat makers are unauthorised and he will coordinate with the MC teams to get them relocated.