Residents complaining about frequent traffic congestion near Gandhi Market due to haphazard parking of heavy vehicles may have to endure the trouble for at least 10 more days. With the district administration making it clear that the relocation of Gandhi Market is inevitable, the agriculture marketing and agriculture business department is in the final phase of the scrutiny process to allot shops to traders who have applied for space in integrated vegetable market at Kallikudi. The process is likely to conclude in 10 days.

The agriculture marketing department, having completed the first phase of scrutiny process, is set to conduct field observations to verify the particulars mentioned by applicants.


The department as on May 20 collected close to 1,600 applications from vegetable vendors including wholesale traders, who are interested to move out of Gandhi Market. Out of the 1,600, the department is likely to award shops to 300 applicants initially in the sprawling 9.79 acres integrated vegetable market on the outskirts of the city.

Since the district administration announced that heavy vehicles would be banned from entering Gandhi market from June, official sources said that several traders have been preparing to move to the new facility built at an estimated cost of Rs 65 crore in 2014. “We will prepare a list of traders eligible for allotting shops in Kallikudi integrated vegetable market within a couple of days. Initially around 300 wholesale traders will be allotted shops in the new market after obtaining consent from the district collector,” an official source said.
The department has planned to allot the shops in ground floor to wholesale traders which would certainly decongest the existing Gandhi Market and its vicinity such as EB Road and Palakkarai. After the allotment process concludes in 10 days, entry of heavy vehicles to Gandhi market will be banned.
“We are confident of relocating a section of the wholesale traders to Kallikudi market within 10 days. Allotment orders would be given shortly and only after the completion of relocation process, restrictions for entry of heavy vehicles inside Gandhi market will come into effect,” district collector K Rajamani told TOI.

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