Traders seek reopening of markets, announce stir

The office-bearers of the traders’ body along with the shop owners from Koyambedu Wholesale Vegetable, Fruit, Flower and Grains Market held a meeting in Chennai on Tuesday to discuss the closure of the market that has caused hardship to thousands of traders dealing in vegetables, fruits and flowers, besides leading to tonnes of perishable goods going waste every day at the makeshift market at Tirumazhisai.

Tamil Nadu Vanigar Sangankalin Peramaippu president AM Vikramaraja said they were seeking the support of all traders’ associations in the State to make the strike total. He asked traders in the markets all over the State to close their establishments next Monday.

He said he had met Deputy Chief Minister O Panneerselvam twice seeking to reopen of the Koyambedu market. “When I met him at the Secretariat last month, we were hopeful of the reopening of the Koyambedu market as he detailed the plans for reopening. He told us that all the markets in the Koyambedu complex have same entry, which leads to congestion, and added that it needs to be addressed. But nothing happened beyond that,” he said. The traders would adhere to the social distancing norms strictly when the market reopens, he added.

Besides the Koyambedu market, many other smaller markets across Tamil Nadu were closed and traders have been asked to shift to other venues following the outbreak of COVID-19. Vikramaraja said all such markets should be reopened.