VELLORE: For nearly a century, the weekly cattle market, located close to the Poigai bus stand along the Chennai-Bengaluru National Highway about 10 kilometres away from Vellore, has witnessed a large confluence of cattle traders every week.
Tuesdays, when the market convenes, would easily see over 2,000 cattle traders from surrounding regions and about 1,500 cattle would get sold in this shandy, which largely deals in cash, with sales running into crores.
However, with the Model Code of Conduct (MCC) for the Assembly election coming into force, imposing restrictions on the amount of cash (a maximum of Rs 50,000) individuals can carry, the century-old market has suffered a blow.
This Tuesday, the first time the market convened since the enforcement of MCC, the usual bustle was missing. With flying squads and surveillance teams intensifying checks and seizing unaccounted cash, the shandy witnessed fewer cattle arrivals.
According to traders, transactions at the market are largely cash-based and several traders are not accustomed to digital payment modes. T Mohanathan, a lease contractor at the Poigai cattle market, said sales dipped by nearly 30% on Tuesday compared to other normal weeks.
“A farmer from Tiruvannamalai was intercepted on his way to the market and Rs 4 lakh in cash was seized. Incidents like this are discouraging buyers,” he said.
Mohanathan added that purchasing even a healthy calf requires at least Rs 70,000, making cash transactions unavoidable. Traders also noted that the fear of inspections has reduced not only traders, but also buyers from visiting the market.
It may be noted that the Poigai shandy draws traders not only from Vellore, but from neighbouring districts, including Tirupattur, Ranipet, Dharmapuri and Krishnangiri and even from states like Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka. On a typical Tuesday, transactions worth several crores of rupees are reported.
Another trader, on condition of anonymity, said that buyers from areas such as Chittoor are now hesitant due to intensified border checks and urged authorities to consider relaxations for genuine traders.
Traders and cattle owners have also appealed to the district administration to appoint a special officer for the market during the election period. They sought a temporary mechanism, such as easily identifiable receipts issued for the market, to enable legal cash movement for trade.
While maintaining that violations should be acted upon, traders urged that steps should be taken to prevent disruption of their livelihoods for the next two months, due to the blanket restrictions in force.