The District Market Committee has received 968 applications from traders seeking allotment of shops at the Central Market for Vegetables, Fruits and Flowers at Kallikudi on the outskirts of the city.
The District Market Committee functioning under the Department of Agricultural Marketing and Agri Business had, in June this year, called for fresh applications from traders for allotment of 623 shops at the market. Prior to that, the committee had revoked the allotment of 288 shops to traders at the market as the allotees had failed to function and renew the agreements. The shops were allotted in 2018 for a period of 11 months and the agreements had not been renewed after that.
The move came in the wake of continued reluctance of the wholesale traders of Gandhi Market to move to the new market claiming that it was too far away from the city and the shops did not suit their requirements. The market, situated about 12 km away from the city off the Tiruchi-Madurai National Highway, was opened in September 2017 and declared functional on July 1, 2018. However, hardly a handful of traders moved into the market and they too wound up operations after a few days. The market has been lying in disuse ever since leading to the revocation of allotments and the decision to call for fresh applications.
According to sources, 1,292 applications were issued and 968 filled-in applications were received. The last date for receipt of filled-in applications expired on July 24. The applications were being scrutinised by a committee headed by the District Collector following which the allotments would be made. According to sources, some traders of the Gandhi Market too had applied for allotment of shops at the market.
Shops of different sizes 100 square feet, 150 square feet and 200 square feet were being offered on minimum monthly rentals ranging from ₹1,800 to ₹4,410. The applicants have to bid for the shops by indicating the rentals they would offer. According to sources, the shops were in good demand and once the pandemic situation ends, the market would become fully functionally.
Farmers groups
Meanwhile, some of the shops in the ‘Farmers Block’, which were allotted to the Farmers Interest Groups (FIGs), Farmers Producers Groups (FPGs) and Farmers Producers Organisations (FPOs) in the market, were set to function from Wednesday.
The Market Committee had already allotted about 104 shops to 52 FIGs, FPGs and FPOs and farmers’ producers companies as per a government order issued earlier this year.
The market, established on 9.79 acres with 830 shops, was conceived when late Chief Minister Jayalalithaa represented the Srirangam Assembly constituency, in the wake of persistent demand for shifting the wholesale section of Gandhi Market in the city to a more spacious location. It was built at a cost of ₹77 crore with financial assistance from National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development.
