After the Thirumazhisai vegetable market declared a weekly holiday, the temporary fruit market in Madhavaram will also be closed on Sundays, starting September 13.
The market receives about 200 tonnes of fruits, mostly bananas, daily. Besides wholesalers, the market has up to 15,000 daily visitors, according to merchants. Members of the Chennai Fruits Commission Agents’ Association noted that the decision was taken after recent relaxations in the lockdown. The market will continue to be closed on Sundays till they move back to the Koyambedu Wholesale Market Complex.
S. Srinivasan, association president, said earlier, the market did not function due to the total lockdown on Sundays. The decision to declare Sundays as holidays was taken following the demand of wholesalers. This will not affect the availability of fruits as retail markets will remain open.
The association requested government authorities to regulate shops outside the Madhavaram market. While about 300 wholesale shops functioned inside the market, nearly 50-60 shops had mushroomed around it and hindered business, traders added.
Meanwhile, semi-wholesalers, who own 50 sq ft to 300 sq ft shops in Koyambedu, have demanded to be allowed to operate along with wholesalers when the vegetable market reopens on September 28. There are nearly 10,000 semi-wholesalers in the three sections of the market. Moreover, about 20,000 labourers are also dependent on the trade.
Many were rendered jobless for the past four months as they do not have a dedicated market allotted to them.
A. Selvaraj, president, Puratchiyalar Ambedkar Koyambedu Valaga Vyabarigal Munnani Sangam, said, “Retail merchants from smaller markets and grocery shops used to purchase produce from us. Most of the semi-wholesalers have left the city as they could not carry out business. Only a few of them rented out shops or sold produce in fishcarts and small vehicles.”
The State government should allow semi-wholesalers to function with strict physical distancing norms from September 28, he added.