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Gandhi Market Relocation Plans in Tiruchi

The district administration is making efforts to shift traders from the crowded Gandhi Market in Tiruchirapalli to a new central market being built in Kallikudi. The new 9.79 acre market located 15km from the city is nearing completion. However, some traders are opposing the move, arguing the facilities are inadequate. At a meeting, the Collector discussed the issue with trader representatives but opinions were divided. While some associations want only wholesale traders to shift, others want to retain the retail section in the city for accessibility. Officials said the new market will help decongest Gandhi Market and have modern facilities once completed.

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57 views3 pages

Gandhi Market Relocation Plans in Tiruchi

The district administration is making efforts to shift traders from the crowded Gandhi Market in Tiruchirapalli to a new central market being built in Kallikudi. The new 9.79 acre market located 15km from the city is nearing completion. However, some traders are opposing the move, arguing the facilities are inadequate. At a meeting, the Collector discussed the issue with trader representatives but opinions were divided. While some associations want only wholesale traders to shift, others want to retain the retail section in the city for accessibility. Officials said the new market will help decongest Gandhi Market and have modern facilities once completed.

Uploaded by

Ar Karthikeyan Tamizh
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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TIRUCHIRAPALLI

Efforts on to shift Gandhi Market to new


place
S.Ganesan
TIRUCHI: , FEBRUARY 14, 2017 19:17 IST

As construction of a central market for vegetables, fruits and flowers at


Kallikudi on the outskirts of the city nearing completion, the district
administration took the first step towards shifting the traders to the new
market by convening a consultative meeting with traders representatives of
the market on Monday.
The market is being established on a 9.79-acre plot off Tiruchi-Madurai
National Highway, about 15 km from here. The a project was announced by
late Chief Minister Jayalalithaa in July 2014 when she represented the
Srirangam Assembly constituency in the wake of persistent demand for
shifting the wholesale section of the Gandhi Market to a spacious location.
The project was sanctioned at a cost of 77.06 crore with assistance under
the Rural Infrastructure Development Fund of the National Bank for
Agriculture and Rural Development.
However, there was no official word on whether traders of the market would
be asked to shift to the new place. A section of traders had been opposing the
move on the ground that there was no prior consultation with them on the
design or the location of the new facility. They observed a strike and downed
shutters for a day in February last year contending that the shops at the new
market were too small and not suitable for them.
Traffic bottleneck
Gandhi Market, established in 1940, has over 1,500 permanent and pavement
shops on about 6.5 acres of land. Different sections such as the vengaiya
mandi, vazhakai mandi, vellamandi and the pazha mandi spill over
Madurai Road, Thanjavur Road, Nelpettai Road, East Boulevard Road and
Sub-Jail Road and have become a major traffic bottleneck.
As a first step, Collector K.S.Palanisamy on Monday convened a meeting
with representatives of various traders associations to discuss the issue. He
told The Hindu that the discussion, only the first of series of meetings, was
to shift them. The meeting was positive. We will have more discussions
before arriving at a decision, he said.
According to sources, opinion was divided among traders with some
opposing the move. Ve.Govindarajalu, treasurer, Vanigar Sangakalin
Peramaippu, is said to have opposed the move stating that the facilities at the
new market were inadequate.
Representatives of a few other associations were in favour of retaining the
retail market at Gandhi Market. We are not in favour of moving retail traders
away from the city. Retail traders function within the four walls of Gandhi
Market and do not cause any disturbance to traffic around the market. May
be, they can consider shifting traders who function outside the market
encroaching the roads, said U.S.Karuppiah, president, Gandhi Market United
Corporation Approved Platform and Permanent Shopkeepers Association.
The retail market should be accessible to people, he said and pointed out that
the market had been functioning since 1940.
M.K.Kamalakannan, president, Tiruchi Gandhi Market Vyaparigal Munnetra
Sangam, owing allegiance to the Tamil Nadu Vanigar Sangankalin Peravai,
favoured retaining the retail section and shifting wholesale traders to the new
market. This is a traditional market functioning for several decades. In many
cities, wholesale markets function outside the city. If this was done, it would
help decongest the area.
Meanwhile, officials said that construction of the new market was nearing
completion. The market, with modern infrastructure, will have 1,000 shops, a
cold storage of 2,000 tonne capacity, sorting and grading yards and wide
internal roads to facilitate easy movement of trucks loading and unloading
goods at the facility.

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