Nearly twenty-two months have passed since the Central Market for Vegetables, Fruits and Flowers at Kallikudi, situated about 12 km away from the city off Tiruchi-Madurai national highway, was declared open in September 2017. But, the stalemate over shifting the wholesale traders of the Gandhi Market to Kallikudi still persists.
The new market was built in the wake of growing demand for shifting the traders of Gandhi Market to a more spacious location.
The idea to build a central market at Kallikudi emerged when former Chief Minister Jayalalithaa represented Srirangam Assembly constituency in 2014. It soon became a reality with the construction of over 800 shops spread over 10 acre. It was built with financial assistance from National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development and a sum of ₹77 crore has been spent for the sprawling market at Kallikudi.
But, most of Gandhi Market traders refused to move to the new market on the ground that it was far away from the city.
After immense pressure from the public, the Kallikudi market became operational since July 2018 with a few traders opting to operate from the new market. The officials went to the level of diverting lorries transporting vegetables to the Kallikudi market.
But, the market operations lasted only for a few days with a trader taking up the issue to the court again.
While expressing concern over the non-utilisation of the new market built at the cost of taxpayers money, a consumer activist said that the State government should take speedy steps to make use of the Kallikudi Market. Otherwise, the total investment would go waste.