In the heart of Vellore city is its commercial zone – Long Bazaar and surrounding areas. But traders and shopkeepers are unhappy over the lack of basic facilities for the markets and say the commercial hub is plagued by problems of traffic congestion and poor sanitation.
Long Bazaar, also known as Kripananda Variyar Salai, is home to an old market – Nethaji Market – that has stood the test of time through several decades. While shops in Nethaji Market and Long Bazaar primarily sell fruits and vegetables, several lanes in and around the area deal with specific commodities.
Mandy Street has shops selling pulses, rice and other groceries, B.S.S. Koil Street deals with textile shops, while Gandhi Road is home to jewellers and Chunambukara Street has shops selling plastic items, hardware and electrical appliances.
But the commercial hub of Vellore Corporation is devoid of any development, according to traders. With the local body polls round the corner, traders say the Vellore Corporation should pay attention to their demands.
“We have been asking for a one-way route for lorries that enter the market for unloading goods for the last 30 years but nothing has been done till date. The lorries have to return on the same route, and this causes congestion. If a one-way route is earmarked, it will be easy for the vehicles to exit from the market,” said A. Balu, president of Vellore Town Nethaji Market Kaikari Vyabarigal Sangam.
Poor sanitation is one of the major problems that are plaguing the commercial hub. “Accumulation of garbage is a problem here. The Vellore Corporation should engage more number of sanitary workers to remove garbage from the market areas on shift basis. Many of the workers, who had retired, are yet to be replaced,” he added.
There are demands to renovate the shops in Nethaji Market too. There are a total of 750 shops in Nethaji Market, besides 250 vendors, according to traders.
The market has minimal toilet facilities, they said. “Mandy Street has only one toilet. As a result, the area suffers from poor sanitation due to open defecation,” said C. Janarthanam, secretary of Vellore Navathaaniya Mandi Vyabarigal Sangam.
Traders said that there is one pay-and-use toilet facility opposite the old fish market but there was need for at least two more free public toilets.
Long Bazaar and its surrounding lanes also suffer due to lack of parking spaces. Mr. Balu recalled how many customers having cars have stopped coming to the market for want of space to park the vehicles.
R.B. Gnanavelu, district secretary of Tamil Nadu Vannigar Sangagalin Peramaippu, said many textile shops on B.S.S. Koil Street have been facing hardship in getting customers due to lack of parking space. “The Vellore Corporation should establish parking lots somewhere close to the market zone such as at Mandy Street or old bus stand,” he said.
With the Vellore Corporation establishing a separate facility at the old fish market to relocate street vendors from Long Bazaar, he said that the stretch must be made free of congestion to enable people to walk freely.
As the Corporation plans to modernise the Nethaji Market, he said, “As per rules, newly constructed shops should be auctioned. But the market has traders, who have been running shops for three to four generations. The Corporation should amend its rules and allot the new shops once the market is modernised to the existing shopkeepers on priority basis,” he said.
He wanted the traders to be exempted from the solid waste management charges.
