Vegetable traders await approval for the proposed wholesale market at Thirumalaiyampalayam in Coimbatore

About 90 traders have jointly purchased 9.5 acres at Thirumalaiyampalayam to develop a wholesale vegetable market that can accommodate 89 shops

Over 80 wholesale vegetable traders in Coimbatore who have come together to develop a new vegetable market are awaiting approvals from the Directorate of Town and Country Planning for the project.

M. Rajendran, president of the TK Market wholesale vegetable traders’ association, told The Hindu on Friday that about 90 traders – 50 from MGR Market and 40 from the TK Market – jointly purchased 9.5 acres at Thirumalaiyampalayam in Coimbatore district three years ago. They planned to develop the market at ₹ 42 crore to accommodate 89 shops. They were also developing basic infrastructure such as underground drainage system, overhead water tank, and roads with their funds.

“We want approval from the Directorate of Town and Country Planning to build shops. We gave the application three months ago and all the documents that the officials asked recently. We hope to get the approval soon,” he said.

With the Highways Department commencing construction works for a flyover on Mettupalayam road, vehicle movement to MGR market was likely to be affected. Retail traders who purchased vegetables in bulk at the market would find it difficult to park vehicles and load the vegetables. A lot of vegetable sales had moved from Coimbatore to Mysuru in Karnataka and Oddanchathram in Tamil Nadu. Even in Coimbatore district, those who sold vegetables to traders in Kerala were moving to places such as Kinathukadavu and Pollachi. This was because the wholesale markets in Coimbatore were located within the city and lack of adequate space for unloading and loading vegetables was affecting the traders.

Hence, a group of traders took the initiative to develop a wholesale market outside the city. The Departments concerned should grant the required approvals without delay so that the project could take off at the earliest, he said.

Published - September 20, 2024 08:40 pm IST