Traders in Vellore are demanding that existing shopkeepers in the Nethaji Market be given priority while allotting shops once the market is rebuilt under the Smart City project.

To put forward this demand along with their six-point charter of demands, traders belonging to the Tamil Nadu Vannigar Sangangalin Peramaippu, Vellore and Krishnagiri districts and the Nethaji Market All Traders Association observed a day-long fast on Tuesday. All shops, including flower, vegetables and fruit shops in the market were shut in view of the protest.

“The Vellore Corporation has planned to reconstruct the Nethaji Market under the Smart City project. Currently, there are 754 shops on a monthly rent basis and another 300 temporary shops in the market. Once rebuilt, the Corporation has planned to allot the shops through auction. But we are demanding that these shops be allotted to the existing shopkeepers without auctioning as they have been here for several years,” said R.B. Gnanavelu, district secretary of the Tamil Nadu Vannigar Sangangalin Peramaippu.

Further demands

He said the new shops should be rented out at an affordable rate. The traders wanted a ban on online trading, and demanded that the four GST slabs should be reduced to two — 5% and 12%. The association demanded that certain provisions of the Food Safety and Standards Act should be amended as it paved way for huge penalties and punishments, including imprisonment for traders, he said.