COIMBATORE: The Coimbatore City Municipal Corporation (CCMC) has floated a tender to renovate three markets in the city at an estimated cost of Rs 8.07 crore. Following numerous petitions submitted by the traders, CCMC announced the renovation in its FY 2023-24 budget.
In this situation, the civic body has floated a tender to renovate the MGR Market, Anna Market on the Mettupalayam Road and the Tomato Market at Sundarapuram Market at the cost of Rs 8.07 crore. Bidding for the tender is set to be opened on April 27.
Meanwhile, traders demanded that the renovation should be completed before the onset of monsoon. The Coimbatore District All Wholesale Vegetable & Fruit Traders Association President CN Pazhaniasamy told TNIE, "During the rains last year, the market turned slushy. The civic officials assured to fix the issues within a week. It's been a year, but nothing has changed here. Despite over 2,000 persons arriving and trading in the MGR market on a daily basis, there is no drinking water facility. The public toilet is very poorly maintained and once cannot use it."
"Out of the 112 shops in the market, 60 don't have walls or roofing and instead function under a metal sheet. When we first began trading in the market back in 1994, the officials asked us to carry out the trade in the shops set up using steel sheets temporarily. But it's almost 30 years and the shops continue to function without infrastructure. No matter which party comes to power, we are always neglected. If not other facilities, then the officials must at least pave tar roads instead of concrete roads inside the market so that it doesn't affect our trade," he added.
Speaking to TNIE, CCMC Commissioner M Prathap said, "We shall be doing improvement works such as reconstructing drains, toilets, and streetlights among other facilities. As far as the shops are concerned, we are not building any new ones but only strengthening the existing ones and installing tensile roofing.
Instead of tar roads, we will be paving concrete roads inside the market that can withstand heavy trucks. Even a few highways are paved with concrete roads. So the traders needn't worry about its durability. We shall try and finish the road works first before the start of the monsoon season."