With nearly 2,000 retail vegetable and fruit shops likely to be closed in Chennai's largest vegetable market at Koyambedu following Covid restrictions, there is a possibility of imminent price rise of vegetables and fruits, the Koyambedu Vegetable Market Association President, M. Ramesh Kumar, told IANS.

However, wholesale vegetable and fruit shops would be functioning in the Koyambedu market and this would lead to people flocking these shops.

The Semi-Wholesale Vegetable Traders Association said this decision would lead to nearly 10,000 people becoming jobless.

S.S. Muthukumar, President of the Koyambedu Semi-Wholesale Vegetable Traders Association, while speaking to IANS said, "There are 1,960 vegetable shops in Koyambedu market and hardly 200 will function which will lead to huge crowds in the remaining shops. We were not consulted on any alternate place for conducting business."

The Koyambedu vegetable and fruit market receives 550 to 600 trucks per day and a meeting held with the officials of the Housing and Urban Development department did not yield any positive outcome.

M. Ramesh Kumar said, "There has not been any positive outcome following the meeting and we are holding an emergency meeting of all the organisations concerned and will announce our next course of action."

Chennai is recording low prices for vegetables and the consumers are worried that a shutdown of the retail shops in the Koyambedu market would lead to a steep price rise in the coming days.