TIRUCHI
With the northeast monsoon just about two weeks away, the vegetable and fruits traders, who operate out of the temporary wholesale market, are worried about continuing trade at the market once the monsoon sets in as the G. Corner grounds lack adequate infrastructure.
As part of the precautionary measures in the wake of the spread of COVID-19 and to prevent the people from assembling in large numbers, the Tiruchi district administration closed the Gandhi Market in the last week of March and subsequently shifted its operation initially to the Chennai Bypass Road and later to G. Corner, an open ground owned by the railways.
The stopgap arrangement was expected to serve the purpose for one or two months. But, the traders continue to function in the open space for more than 6 months. There is absolutely no basic infrastructure for the traders to stock and store the fresh arrival and unsold vegetables and fruits. The traders allege that they have been undergoing trying times in the absence of facilities to safeguard the money, keep the weighing machines, place to take rest and for other purposes.
According to a rough estimate, there are about 180 wholesale and 200 retail shops at the temporary market. It attracts about 4,000 wholesale and retail traders, grocery traders and loadmen.
Except a few mobile toilets and drinking water containers, there is nothing to protect the traders from heat, rain and wind. Toilets are said to be highly inadequate to meet the requirement of 4,000 and odd traders.
When the retail traders, who operate at Uzhavar Sandhai at Anna Nagar, were given a makeshift shed, no such provision was made at G. Corner, apparently due to the reservation expressed by the Southern Railway to erect or build any solid infrastructure. Troubled over the frequent rains, a few traders erected makeshift sheds a few weeks ago, but only to be removed by the railway authorities.
Though the traders manage to continue their trade despite of a few spells of rain between June and September, they are worried about the prospects of the trade during the northeast monsoon, which is expected to set in in the third week of October. Many of them vie for moving back to the Gandhi Market.
“I do not think it will be easy to carry on trade during the monsoon as it may rain heavily and continue for at least 5 to 6 days for each spell. We will be forced to cease our operation if concrete alternative arrangements are not made,” says Kamalakannan, a trader at G. Corner.
A.N.P. Mohamed Ahathu, another trader, said that the traders had been undergoing untold ordeals. The authorities would understand their sufferings only when they visited the market on a rainy day at night. The condition would become worse once the monsoon set in.
