The Tiruchi Corporation on Thursday began demolishing the fish and meat market behind Gandhi Market to clear the site for constructing a new building for the market.
After issuing work order to build the new meat-cum-fish market at a cost of ₹13 crore, the Corporation had issued an ultimatum to fish, mutton and poultry traders to remove their belongings within Monday. They were asked to move to alternative sites till the construction of the new building. But none of them shifted their business until Thursday morning. They transacted business as usual on Thursday.
Following this, Corporation officials led by P. M. N. Mujibur Rahuman visited the market on Thursday and asked the traders to remove their belongings immediately. The officials warned that if they failed to cooperate, their belongings would be seized. The traders subsequently began removing their items. They shifted their items meant for trading to the Golden Jubilee Bazaar and the nearby slaughtering house.
After ensuring the removal of their belongings by most of the traders, an earthmover employed by the Corporation demolished a portion of the 50-year-old building where about 60 traders were doing business.
A Corporation official told The Hindu that the entire building would be brought down before dawn on Friday and subsequently the site would be handed over to the contractor. The new meat market would be built on 25,000 sq ft at the same spot. It will have 148 stalls on two floors with separate provisions made for fish, mutton and chicken traders. An arrangement would be in place for parking 200 two-wheelers.
There was no cold storage facility in the existing building but the new building would have one for fish traders. Establishing a waste disposal mechanism was also part of the plan.
