CHENNAI: The Koyambedu wholesale market wore a desolate look on Tuesday as the Chennai Metropolitan Development Authority, the custodian of the market, banned the entry of people buying vegetables as well as retailers and split the market by shifting the fruit and flower traders to the Madhavaram bus terminus from Thursday.
CMDA member secretary D Karthikeyan made this announcement in the secretariat after chairing a meeting of the market management committee which had remained inconclusive with traders opposing the initial plan put forth by the authorities to shift the market to Kilambakkam, Madhavaram and Koyambedu.
A fresh plan was worked out but this also lacked the backing of traders as S Chandran, Market management Committee Licensed Merchants Association President and Anaithu Sangankalin Kootamaipu general secretary, and ''Pazhakadiai'' Jayaraman, President of the Koyambedu Market Anna Anaithu Vyabarigal PodhuNala Sangam, (General traders welfare association), vowed to convince various associations to adhere to the decision. The plan to shift the market is a temporary one till the lockdown and it may be for a period of less than two months, traders said.
Karthikeyan later said the vegetable retail trade will function from the sites allotted by the Chennai Corporation and other local bodies including the bus terminus. Interestingly, this comes after Chief Minister Edapaddi K Palaniswami expressed his concern over lack of social distancing in the Koyambedu market.
Social distancing norms were violated in Koyambedu to buy vegetables during the last minute shopping following the stricter regime of lockdown announced by by the government to contain COVID-19 as CMDA lacks manpower to monitor it. Sources said that around one lakh people visited the market at one go posing a threat to safety of traders as well as Chennaites.
According to Karthikeyan, a new schedule for vehicles entering Koyambedu market has been worked out. As per the schedule, trucks should enter Koyambedu market by 6pm and offload the vegetables before 10pm prior to vacating the premises. Similarly, local and retail traders are allowed to collect the vegetables from the traders before 7.30am. However, there is a threat of overcrowding as there is no means of verifying who the licensed traders or shopkeepers are since that data lies with the corporation.
The same schedule is to be implemented in the foodgrain market in Koyambedu, which usually shuts by 12pm. The stricter clampdown comes after the government started testing vegetable and fruit vendors in Koyambedu for COVID-19 since Tuesday morning after two persons -- a saloon owner near the market and a coriander trader -- who visited the market tested positive on Monday.
According to Chandran, a total of 200 wholesale vegetable shops will be allowed to function with restricted transport movement of 200 lorries. Each shop will be allocated one lorry each and the loading and offloading will start in the evening. "The plan is to finish the loading and offloading by 7.30am," he said.
The retail traders will have to transfer the vegetables, which they plan to sell, through their own vehicles after selecting from the list of sites offered by the corporation. "At the most in Koyambedu we are planning a restricted movement of around 20,000 people in the market," he said, adding that it is the best possible decision for the traders.
Meanwhile, on Tuesday around 70 per cent retail shops were not functioning and only a few customers could be seen following the fresh coronavirus scare.