CHENNAI: Ever since the Koyambedu market was shut down about a month ago, flower traders and employees say they have been hit hard. Flower merchants have been running from pillar to post seeking an alternative site to continue their business.Mookaiyan, secretary of Koyambedu Flower Wholesale Market Association, said traders and employees are struggling to eke out a living.
“After the wholesale market was closed, we hoped the government would provide us an alternative site like fruit and vegetable traders, but in vain. We even suggested the empty space near Vanagaram for carrying on business. It’s time the government acted upon this without delay,” he said.
The CMDA and the Corporation are not in sync with the problem of farmers or the people selling farm products. The market should be handled by the Agriculture Department or a separate entity catering for farmers and farm traders should be created.
Highlighting a 24-year-old legal tussle following which some flower traders moved to Koyambedu complex abiding a government direction while others stayed back on Badrian Street, Mookaiyan said, “The traders went by the government direction and moved to the Koyambedu complex under the Tamil Nadu Specified Commodities Markets (Regulation of location) Act 1996. Now,the government is not paying any heed to us.”
When Express contacted officials, they said talks are on and an alternative site has been identified.
Similarly, vegetable semi-wholesale and retail traders said CMDA officials are just buying time and not understanding the plight of traders. “We have selected the 10 of the 250 sites available with the Corporation. But, they are not allotting the site,” said S S Muthukumar, president of small and semi-wholesale vegetable shop owners association.
The fate of foodgrains market, which has been shut for more than 20 days, is also yet to be known. Officials said a case is pending before court. But, traders at Kothwalchavadi market dealing with pulses and foodgrains were allowed to do business on alternate days from Monday. Meanwhile, fruits market, which has been shifted to Madhavaram, is likely to face issues as there is a talk that buses might be allowed to ply from the city by next month.