VIJAYAWADA: HRD Minister Nara Lokesh will lay the foundation stone for a state-of-the-art model Rythu Bazaar near the Nidamarru railway gate in Mangalagiri town on Thursday.
Designed to serve both retail and wholesale vegetable vendors and consumers, the modern market infrastructure will be constructed across 5.90 acres at an estimated cost of Rs 18 crore, funded through the Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) initiative of the Aurobindo Pharma Trust.
Envisioned as a clean, eco-friendly, and consumer-centric facility, the proposed market complex will span a total built-up area of 71,925 square feet.
The retail section will house 102 stalls dedicated to vegetables, 54 specialised stalls for fruits and flowers, alongside 60 general commercial shops. To cater to bulk trade, the wholesale wing will feature 18 dedicated unloading platforms and 23 large-scale vegetable shops.
To minimise post-harvest losses and improve vendor amenities, the facility will feature a 61.4-square- metre cold storage unit, dedicated vegetable washing bays, a 190-square-metre canteen, restrooms covering 130 square metres, and an administrative block spanning 144.6 square metres.
The project allocates dedicated space for a terrace solar power system, an organic waste converter unit, centralised garbage collection infrastructure, water storage sumps, an overhead tank, and power backup generators.
State officials noted that the facility will significantly upgrade civic infrastructure and boost trade in Mangalagiri.