The Srirangam Flower Dealers Association has expressed reservations over the reported move to accommodate more retail flower traders at Srirangam Boys Higher Secondary School grounds where the flower market has been functioning temporarily since early May.
The flower market which had been functioning at the Sathara Veedhi was shifted to the school grounds after it was found that the market was attracting heavy crowd and social distancing norms were not being adhered too. After talks with Revenue, Corporation and police officials, the flower commission agents and traders functioning at Sathara Veedhi agreed to shift to the temporary market and adhere to the safety norms stipulated by the government.
“Twenty-three flower commission agents and 10 traders moved to the school grounds, where a temporary vegetable market is also functioning. But now about additional shops for about 20 more retail flower traders are being created at the grounds by erecting pandals. Adding more shops will defeat the very purpose of asking us to move to the school grounds,” said V. Varadharajan, president, Srirangam Flower Dealers Association.
Contending that more shops would resulting in overcrowding, making it difficult to maintain social distancing norms, Mr. Varadharajan maintained that they were not opposed to allowing more retail traders to operate. “But let them be given some other space. Or let the authorities allow us to move to Sathara Veedhi or an alternative site such as the Devi Elementary School grounds,” he suggested.
