Downpour washes away vegetables, fruits at APMC Yard; merchants furious

Mangaluru: Vegetable and foodgrain merchants who, following directions from the Dakshina Kannada district administration, had shifted their stores from the Central Market in Mangaluru to the APMC Yard in Baikampady, could do little but watch their merchandise get drenched after heavy showers lashed the coastal district on Monday.
The Central Market Merchants’ Association pegs the loss from the downpour at Rs 50 lakh. Association president Mustaffa said that nearly 80 wholesale traders had suffered losses. He said that they would demand compensation for their loss from the district administration, at whose behest they had shifted shop to the APMC Yard.
The downpour, which lasted four hours from 6am, washed away vegetables and other perishables at the Baikampady yard. The district administration had shifted operations from the Central Market to the yard, which is roughly 18km from Mangaluru city centre, as part of its emergency measures to ensure social distancing and prevent crowding.
Although the authorities decreed that traders shift their stalls to the APMC Yard, the merchants complained about the lack of basic facilities, in addition to the unhygienic environment, which they said was not conducive to sale of vegetables and fruits.
“The APMC Yard was established three decades ago, and lies in a dilapidated condition with no basic facilities. The Central Market, on the other hand, was set up six decades ago, but its condition is still very good. This is why we want to return to the Central Market. Our pleas, however, have fallen on deaf ears. The deputy commissioner is indecisive, and keeps deferring the decision not realising that our livelihood is at stake. If this continues, we will be forced to look for our own alternatives,” Mustaffa said.
Another merchant rued the apathetic attitude of the APMC authorities. Meanwhile Mangaluru City Corporation commissioner Shanady Ajith Kumar Hegde, who issued the notice ordering the closure of Central Market, said that it was the responsibility of APMC authorities to provide adequate facilities for traders.
Meanwhile, former MLA and senior Congress member JR Lobo lashed out at BJP MLAs and the district administration for failing to make adequate arrangements at the yard prior to shifting.
Neither the deputy commissioner nor any of the APMC officials was available for comment.