Corpn to allow 9k mobile vegetable, grocery shops

According to a Chennai Corporation statement, vendors would sell products using around 5,000 tricycles and 2,000 small motor vehicles. “The move has been taken to provide groceries and vegetables at a reasonable price.

The traders will wear masks, gloves and other personal safety equipment,” the statement said. The traders would be provided with identity cards and boards with Chennai Corporation’s name would be placed on the vehicles. The civic body would also issue vehicle passes to the traders so that they could transport items from wholesale markets.

The decision to launch mobile shops was taken after a meeting with the members of Tamilnadu Vanigar Sangangalin Peramaippu (Federation of Tamil Nadu traders associations) at Ripon Buildings on Tuesday.

AM Vikramaraja, leader of the federation said that the scrap dealers in the city have tricycles and they lost their business due to the lockdown. “When the civic body sought us to home deliver products, we proposed redesigning scrap dealers’ tricycles and allowing them to sell vegetables. This will control the crowd in the markets and also provide a livelihood to scrap dealers. Several traders who were selling vegetables on streets left for their hometowns after the lockdown. Scarp dealers will now take their role,” he added.

He explained that load autos would be used to sell grocery and residents can buy products in packages worth Rs 300, Rs 500 and Rs 1,000. “This move is to avoid crowding at the vehicles.”

While the retrofitting of tricycles are underway, the federation has decided to launch first 50 tricycles before this weekend. On a pilot basis, the federation had launched a tricycle on Wednesday. Vendors who need permission to run mobile shops can approach zonal officials through phone or in person.

Meanwhile, the civic body had already shifted as many as 60 markets out of 75 markets functioning in the city to bus stands, vacant plots, playgrounds and other open spaces to ensure social distancing.