Traders around the Jawaharlal Nehru International Stadium at Kaloor in Kochi, Kerala, have received a partial reprieve, as the originally proposed month-long shutdown – part of the security protocol for the international friendly match between the Lionel Messi-led defending World Cup champions Argentina and Australia scheduled to be held at the stadium on November 17 – has been scaled down to three weeks.
Initially, over 100 tenants occupying rented spaces at the stadium were instructed to close their establishments for a month starting October 25. However, following a meeting with the chairperson of the Greater Cochin Development Authority (GCDA), which owns the stadium, the closure has now been postponed and come into effect on October 30, with a possible reopening on November 20.
Ahead of Argentina’s football friendly in Kochi, shops around Kaloor stadium told to close for a month due to security protocol
Upon receiving the notice earlier this month, traders held meetings with the GCDA chairperson, requesting that the shutdown be reduced from a month to a week, arguing that such a long closure would severely impact their businesses. However, during the initial discussions, the GCDA maintained that the one-month shutdown was non-negotiable.
