Flower wholesalers have complained that the temporary market opened at Vanagaram on August 20 was getting crowded easily as a result of space constraints.
The merchants demanded that they be allowed to operate in smaller groups in different areas until they are allowed to return to Koyambedu. Since several retailers and labourers gather at the temporary market, the nearby stretch of Poonamallee High Road has witnessed heavy traffic congestion, particularly during mornings, traders said.
The Chennai Metropolitan Development Authority had allotted an alternative site for flower wholesalers who were scattered across the city following the closure of the Koyambedu Wholesale Market complex.
A four-acre plot belonging to the Kailasanathar temple in Vanagaram, falling under the Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowments Department, was allotted.
S. Rajapandian, a flower wholesaler from Thiruverkadu, said though 224 shops had been allotted in the Vanagaram market, about 500 to 600 traders operated daily from the vacant space. “We were earlier continuing the trade as groups in different localities of the city. Now, some of the members insisted that the business must be done from the same place. This has led to the congestion,” he said.
Merchants said the daily rent for each shop had now been reduced from ₹500 to ₹300.
Physical distancing norms and other safety measures were not strictly enforced in the temporary market, they said.
A. Manoharan, a wholesale trader, said, “Unlike in Thirumazhisai and Madhavaram, the operating hours of the Vanagaram market extends from 2 a.m. to 4 p.m. We plan to ask the authorities to allow us to function in separate batches until Koyambedu is reopened.”