Urging the State government to take urgent steps to reopen the Gandhi Market in the city, the Tamil Nadu Vanigar Sangankalin Peramaippu has threatened to launch a State-wide agitation if the issue was not resolved soon.

Alleging that a public issue litigation has been filed before the Madurai Bench of the Madras High Court by an individual for his selfish interests, the Peramaippu urged the authorities to take steps to vacate the interim injunction granted by the court against the opening of the Gandhi Market till the disposal of the petition.

After a consultative meeting of representatives of 27 associations, representing various traders groups of Gandhi Market, here on Monday, A. M. Vikramaraja, State president of the Peramaippu, said the organisation would take up the issue with the Chief Minister.

In a statement explaining the decisions taken at the meeting, Ve. Govindarajalu, general secretary of the Peramaippu, traced the genesis of traders opposition to the move shift them to the Central Market for Vegetables, Fruits and Flowers at Kallikudi on the outskirts of the city. At the planning stage and even during construction of the new complex, the authorities said that it was a separate complex of the Agricultural Marketing Department and it was in no way connected with any move to shift the Gandhi Market. Subsequently, when the authorities tried to project it as an alternative to the Gandhi Market, traders launched a series of protests and even threatened to boycott the 2016 Assembly polls. The traders were then assured that the market will not be shifted to Kallikadi and the same was reiterated during an official meeting conducted by senior officials of the Department of Agricultural Marketing and Agri Business about six months ago, Mr. Govindarajalu claimed.

In the meanwhile, an individual has filed public interest petition in the name of an organisation seeking the shifting of the market to further his own personal interests, Mr. Govindarajalu alleged. The government should take to the court’s notice the true intent of the individual and get the injunction vacated, he said.

“At a time when even Koyambedu market is to be opened soon, the continuation of the temporary market at G. Corner grounds where there is no shelter has to be viewed as an anti-trader action,” Mr.Govindarajalu said. The government also had a duty to take steps to reopen the Gandhi Market by vacating the interim injunction by stating before the court that it had dropped the plan of shifting the Gandhi Market, he said.

The meeting, decided to meet the Ministers from the district Vellamandi N.Natarajan and S. Valarmathi, and the Collector to press the demand. If the issue was not resolved, traders will be forced to launch an agitation by closing all vegetable markets across the state, Mr. Govindarajalu said.