CHENNAI: With Pongal festival and the Tamil month of Thai around the corner, the silk city of Kancheepuram is witnessing an unprecedented surge in visitors. Thousands have been arriving to purchase silk sarees and new clothes for Pongal, and also for weddings and other auspicious functions scheduled during Thai month.

Visitors are flocking to Kancheepuram from Chennai, more than 200 surrounding villages, and also from several districts across the State, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Kerala and Puducherry. The heavy inflow has turned the town into a bustling commercial hub over the past few days.

However, the rush has exposed serious infrastructure gaps, particularly the lack of adequate parking facilities on Gandhi Road and adjoining streets, where most silk saree showrooms are located. Vehicles brought by shoppers are being parked along roadsides, narrowing carriageways and leading to severe traffic congestion. Traffic snarls have been especially acute on the Kancheepuram-Walajabad-Chengalpattu Road, with long queues reported at several stretches.

Local body officials said textile showroom owners were required to arrange parking facilities for customers during the festival rush for smooth traffic flow. However, many establishments have failed to make such arrangements.

The situation has been further aggravated by the shortage of traffic police personnel. Residents have complained that existing traffic management measures are inadequate for a town that witnesses such massive seasonal footfall. They have urged the police, municipal authorities and silk textile traders to plan better arrangements in future, including the provision of temporary parking zones, deployment of home guards and volunteers, and stricter enforcement against roadside parking during peak festival days.