COIMBATORE: The Coimbatore District All Wholesale Vegetable and Fruit Traders Association has announced a protest if the Coimbatore City Municipal Corporation (CCMC) fails to address the drainage issues and set up basic amenities in the 3.5 acres MGR market.
The MGR market, which is opposite the Mettupalayam Road bus stand in the city, has over 100 shops and the livelihood of over 1,100 people depends on the market. The market was inundated after a slight drizzle on Friday night due to which, traders faced a tough time entering the market.
The Coimbatore District All Wholesale Vegetable and Fruit Traders Association president CN Pazhaniasamy told TNIE that they have been facing this issue from over the past seven years and said that even though the CCMC has increased by the rent by nearly 110% in these years, it has not set up even basic amenities in the market.
"Around 150 trucks from across the State and from Kerala operate to and from this market every single day. In this situation, there are no proper facilities in the market, including toilets and drinking water facilities. Over 60 shops in the area don't even have proper roofs or walls."
He said that the traders and workers would be staging a protest next week if the civic body fails to address the issues of the market.
CCMC Commissioner M Prathap told TNIE that the civic body has already sent a proposal of `17.07 crore from the State government for developing seven markets in the city, including the MGR market in June. "The State-level committee has been discussing it and is pending approval. We shall request them to release the funds sooner, so that the works can start as soon as possible."
‘Shift MGR Market’
Meanwhile, many social activists and motorists have urged the CCMC to shift both the MGR and Anna markets from the Mettupalayam Road as both the markets have been causing frequent traffic congestion on the Nagapattinam - Gundalpet National Highway (NH).
Vasanth Kumar, a motorist from Kavundampalayam, said "People from Thudiyalur and Kavundampalayam travelling to the Poo Market, RS Puram, and other parts of the city are facing hardships due to frequent traffic congestion near both the markets. The MGR market junction gets too crowded, as the TNSTC Coimbatore Region office and the Mettupalayam Road new Bus stand are located right next to the market. The MTP road is always filled with trucks from markets and buses from the bus depot, making it difficult for motorists to negotiate through the congestion created by these large vehicles. Shifting the MGR Market is the only solution."
The decision of the State Highways department to start the 1-km flyover works at the Saibaba colony junction on the MTP Road will increase the congestion further.
The traders had denied the officials' proposal of shifting the market to Vellalore earlier, where the integrated bus stand project is being carried out.
Prathap said, "We shall conduct a feasibility study on shifting both the markets to Kavundampalayam by constructing an integrated market facility for the traders with all the amenities. We can allot them about seven to eight acres of land. For anything more than that, we have to check on available land area and other factors."