CHENNAI: The Chennai Corporation Council announced that a weekly market, to be set up under brand ‘Amma’, will soon start functioning, providing consumers with an opportunity to shop everything at one place.
Terming the project as Amma Weekly Market, the council said the initiative would see the elimination of middle men between the manufacturer and the consumer.
“Currently, there are at least six middle men before a product is moved from the producer to the hands of the consumer,” said Mayor Saidai S Duraisamy.
The proposed market will feature 200 shops and sell products manufactured by nearly 40 government, government-aided and self-support groups. The council estimated that 155 varieties of products and about 650 items used everyday will be sold in these markets.
The council also criticised a few political parties over their find fault with a goodwill measure like weekly markets without even knowing the whole truth behind it. “Parties with vested interests have approached the courts without any knowledge of the project. The highly successful Amma Unavagams too faced similar resistance. We are confident that this initiative will succeed and prove the doubting persons wrong once again,” said Duraisamy.
The council was responding to a statement issued by MDMK general secretary Vaiko, who criticised the corporation’s decision to set up markets in playgrounds and parks. “Possible locations are being scouted in all 15 zones of the city. Any chosen location will have to be large enough to accommodate all the 200 shops. So, the area we are looking at is anywhere between one and five acres,” Duraisamy said.
