The Federation of Consumer and Service Organisations has urged the State government to desist from supporting wholesale vegetable traders at Gandhi Market and to let the High Court to decide on the issue of opening the market in the interests of the general public.
At a meeting on Monday chaired by its president M. Sekaran, the council sought to remind the government that the interests of the public ought to be of paramount importance and pandering to the demands of the wholesale traders was bound to cause loss of goodwill.
The government must realise that the proposal to shift the wholesale traders from Gandhi Market to decongest vehicular traffic was taken by the late Chief Minister Jayalalithaa. It was unjustifiable on the part of the wholesale traders to dig their heels in now after having sought a year’s time to start their own market at a meeting with former Collector T. Rajamani.
The government's petition to the High Court to vacate the stay on opening Gandhi Market would be a great disservice to the people, Mr. Sekaran said.
Shifting wholesale traders out of Gandhi Market was a proposal that was given shape by the late Chief Minister after contemplation for 20 years. The act of the wholesale traders to pressure the government to reopen Gandhi Market with threats of trade boycott and obstruction, coinciding with the hearing of the case in the High Court, was deplorable.
It must be borne in mind that Gandhi Market was closed to prevent spread of COVID-19 pandemic. Wholesalers were accommodated in G.Corner grounds and retailers at different places spread across the city. It was unreasonable on the part of wholesalers to complain of inadequacies in G-Corner even while refusing to shift to Kallikudi Market.
The district administration must necessarily take the opinion of consumer and welfare organisations before deciding on the issue, Mr. Sekaran said.
