TIRUCHI
With the district administration initiating steps to shift wholesale traders of the Gandhi Market to the Central Market for Vegetables, Fruits and Flowers at Kallikudi, retail traders of the market have expressed opposition to any move to shift them to the newly built facility.
Opinion seems to be divided even among wholesale traders of the Gandhi Market as the district administration move to invite applications for the new market at Kallikudi has met with a good response.
Although hundreds of applications have been sold over the past few days, with even many retail traders reportedly purchasing them, sections of wholesale traders still resent the move.
With the onion wholesale traders deciding to move to their own private market which is getting ready at Ariyamangalam, another section of wholesale traders are also said to be mulling over a similar move. However, this could take time as they have to identify and purchase a suitable site to build their own market.
With the district administration announcing that heavy vehicles carrying vegetables and fruits would not be allowed to enter the Gandhi Market in the city from June, time is fast running out for the wholesale traders.
Meanwhile, retail traders of the market have grown apprehensive over the “hints” being dropped by the district administration that the wholesale traders are being shifted in the first phase, thereby implying that retail traders too may have to move over to the new market in course of time. Besides, a recent statement from Collector K.Rajamani also indicated that the Gandhi Market is to be redeveloped under the Smart City project, though it is not clear whether it would be retained as a market.
Retail traders argue that they have been operating out of the market for decades in the Gandhi Market, established in 1940. The market has over 1,000 permanent and pavement shops on about 6.5 acres of land. Different wholesale sections such as the ‘vengaiya mandi,’ ‘vazhakai mandi,’ ‘vellamandi’ and the ‘pazha mandi’ spill over to Madurai Road, Thanjavur Road, Nelpettai Road, East Boulevard Road and Sub-Jail Road and only these shops created traffic congestion. Once they are shifted, the traffic problems would be solved. If necessary, the market could be renovated and modernised to retain the retail market, they contend.
“There is a lot of confusion. There is no reason to shift traders who are functioning inside the market and so far we have not been given any notice or intimation by the authorities. Retail traders function within the four walls of Gandhi Market and do not cause any disturbance to traffic around the market. The city needs a retail market that is accessible and offers vegetables, fruits and flowers at affordable prices. Big trucks need not enter the market to transport goods for us,” said U.S.Karuppiah, president, Gandhi Market United Corporation Approved Platform and Permanent Shopkeepers Association.
There are about 780 approved shop keepers functioning inside the market who are paying rent to the Corporation, he points out and claims that the Corporation was getting annual revenue of over ₹10 crore from the market. He contends that the Kallikudi market was essentially meant to cater to wholesale market and does not meet the requirement of retail traders. “If the retail market is shifted hundreds of traders, farmers and labourers will be affected,” he said.
Representatives of a few other associations were in favour of retaining the retail market at Gandhi Market. “We want the retail traders to be retained here. We held a meeting recently and our members expressed strong opposition to any move to shift retail shops to the new market,” said M.K.Kamalakannan, president, Tiruchi Gandhi Market Vyaparigal Munnetra Sangam.
