Gandhi Market traders observe Fast

Even as Chief Minister Edappadi K.Palaniswami is set to inaugurate the Central Market for Vegetables, Fruits and Flowers at Kallikudi through video conference from Chennai on Tuesday, the wholesale traders of Gandhi Market in the city are up in arms against the government’s move to forcibly shift them to the new market complex situated in the outskirts.
The traders went on a 24-hour strike from 10 p.m. on Monday (sections of the market usually function right through the night) and also announced that they would observe a day-long fast on Tuesday in protest against the move. All shops in the market will sport black flags until the government shelves the move.

Announcing the decisions on behalf of the Federation of Gandhi Market All Traders Associations here on Monday, Ve.Govindarajalu, State Treasurer, Tamil Nadu Vanigar Sangakalin Peramaippu, also appealed to the Chief Minister to desist from opening the market at Kallikudi which “did not meet the requirements” of the traders.
The protests come in the wake of the announcement made by Collector K.Rajamani, after a meeting with traders representatives last week, that the wholesale traders would be shifted to the Kallikudi market.
The traders contend that they were never consulted ever since the proposal to build the central market at Kallikudi was conceived. The project was announced by late Chief Minister Jayalalithaa in July 2014 when she represented the Srirangam Assembly constituency. The market, with about 1,000 shops, has been built on 9.79-acres of land off Tiruchi-Madurai National Highway, about 12 km from here.
“Initially, they said the market was not meant for us. Now all of a sudden, the Collector says we have to move there. There was no consultation whatsoever. The shops at the new market are of just 10x10 sq ft in size and are totally inadequate for traders. The market is also located off the Tiruchi-Madurai Highway and there is no service road. Accidents will become frequent if we move in there,” said Mr.Govindarajalu.
Besides, the shops are located on the first floor of the complex, which is totally unsuitable for any market as both traders and customers will find it difficult to move products. The market also needs spacious area for free movement of trucks for loading and unloading goods, the traders argue.
“We are not against shifting the market. Let them shift the entire market to a spacious site of 30 to 40 acres just as they did in Koyambedu (in Chennai),” Mr.Govindarajalu said.
He suggested that the existing Gandhi Market could be expanded if the women’s prison located close by was shifted to the Kallikudi complex. “With a few modifications, the new market complex can be converted into a prison and the public investment will not go waste,” Mr.Govindarajalu said.