Stating that the contractor at the temporary Nethaji Daily Vegetable and Fruit Market at V.O.C. Park Ground was allegedly collecting excess rent for shops and entry of vehicles into the market, a section of traders affiliated to Erode District Vegetable Traders Association staged a protest and threatened to boycott the byelection to Erode (East) Assembly constituency, here on Saturday.
About 900 vegetable shops function at the market and the Corporation has appointed a contractor to collect rent for shops, entry fee for vehicles and other charges from the traders. But a section of traders claimed that excess charges were collected by the contractor.
They said the daily rent for a shop fixed by the Corporation was ₹16. But the contractor was collecting ₹50. Also, instead of collecting ₹500 for the entry of a vegetable-laden vehicle, charges were collected for each gunny bag that went up to ₹5,000 a vehicle, the traders alleged. “We are threatened if we refuse to pay the charges as demanded,” a trader said.
They wanted the lease agreement cancelled. About 50 traders took part in the protest.
