Indore (Madhya Pradesh): The traders of the Devi Ahilyabai Holkar Fruits and Vegetables Mandi have lodged complaints of repeated incidents of theft at the mandi to the managing director of the Agri Marketting Board. They have demanded that more security guards be deployed in the area.
In the backdrop of the incident in which two minors were tied to a lorry and dragged a few metres at the mandi following a complaint of theft made against them, managing director, State Agricultural Marketing Board, GV Rashmi, made a surprise inspection of the mandi on Thursday. She toured the entire market yard and inquired about business from the employees, traders and porters.
During the visit, additional collector and officer-in-charge of the mandi Rajesh Rathod, joint director of the mandi board Mahendra Singh Chauhan, assistant director and secretary of the mandi Naresh Kumar Parmar and traders’ representatives Omprakash Garg, Maqsood Rain and Rajendra Patidar were present. She discussed with them possible improvements in the mandi system.
The traders’ representatives told her that, in view of the fruits and vegetables market business, the officers to employees ratio was not sufficient at present. Incidents of entry of unauthorised persons into the mandi premises and thefts by people living in the slums around the mandi were rampant. There is also only one weighing machine there. A demand was put forward to install another one. For the smooth movement of four-wheelers and two-wheelers, multi-level parking should be developed. An adequate number of CCTVs should also be installed in the mandi for security reasons. They also demand that a control-room be set up there.
Rashmi gave the necessary guidelines about the rectification of the arrangements to the officers concerned.
