With the newly established vegetable shops at the VOC Park Grounds ready for occupancy, traders are reluctant to shift to the new premises as they wanted concrete flooring to be done on the premises.
There are 807 wholesale and retail shops functioning at the Nethaji Daily Vegetable and Fruit Market premises on R.K.V. Road that was shifted to Corporation Central Bus Stand premises in the last week of March due to spread of COVID-19 in the city. Since bus services resumed, the civic body established 400 shops at the park grounds.
However, traders demanded construction of 220 additional shops and refused to relocate. The civic body again began work to construct additional shops and work is nearing completion. Corporation Commissioner M. Elangovan told The Hindu that electrical wiring works would be completed in two days and the four-acre premises would be ready for occupancy. He said that basic amenities were established on the premises and functioning of shops on the new premises is expected in three days.
But traders wanted concrete flooring to be done as the wheels of a truck carrying construction materials got stuck in the slush. P.P.K. Palanisamy, president, Nethaji Wholesale Daily Vegetable and Fruit Market Association, said that they had put forth their demand for cement flooring the premises as trucks carrying vegetables cannot move inside the premises. “But we were told that there is no fund for the flooring works”, he said and expressed traders unwillingness to relocate if concrete flooring is not done.
