Vendors at the vegetable market on East Marret Street complain about a problem that is decades old. “The entrance which was turned into a dumping spot years ago, continues to overflow with waste every day. Not a thing has changed about the facade of the market except that more stakeholders dump garbage here now,” says S. Saravanan, a vendor.
‘Thayir Market,’ as it is referred to by the public, is at least 60 years old, say the vendors. What first started off as a fish market later saw the sale of fruits, dairy items and later vegetables.
It is one of Madurai’s oldest markets, Mr. Saravanan says, and there is history in each of its corners. Currently, there are 152 shops at the market selling a variety of vegetables. This centrally located market also falls under the area of development zone of the Smart City Mission. A number of issues plagues the market and its surrounding areas, says S. Deepalakshmi, a tomato vendor.
“At least 100 trucks frequent East Marret Street to deliver a variety of items to the vegetable market and to the wholesale markets nearby. This creates extensive traffic in the area and leads to commotion as there is no proper pedestrian crossing. The quality of roads is poor too,” she adds.
R. Annapechi, who has sold vegetables at the market for 40 years now, says though the market now has asbestos sheet instead of thatched roofs, the smell of piling garbage has worsened with time.
“I cannot eat or sit in my shop because of the hideous smell. Some say they get used to the smell with time, but I have not. The market is in its worst condition during monsoon time,” she adds. “We can now see pelts and waste parts of slaughtered goats dumped into the bins. The hotels nearby also throw their waste here,” she says. What began as one bin has now become three,” says K. Ammaiappan, a functionary of Centre of Indian Trade Unions and a vegetable vendor
Ms. Deepalakshmi says there are no proper toilet facilities for women inside the market. The toilet inside the market complex is dysfunctional, she adds.
The vendors also say the composting bins kept by the Corporation inside the premises have not been useful. Mr. Saravanan and P. Kaniraja, both functionaries of the CITU, say it was used only for one week by vendors. No crackdown was conducted on its usage after the initial enthusiasm expressed by the civic body in 2017, they add.
Corporation Commissioner S. Aneesh Sekhar says the civic body was planning to instal 10 underground bins as part of the Smart City Mission plan.
“Thayir Market has been chosen as one of the locations,” he adds.
