Forced out of Central Market, Many Vendors Have Opened their Own Fruits & Vegetable Shops in City
Mangaluru: If you are wondering, how come all of a sudden, ‘Smart City Mangaluru’ is seeing a number of new FRUITS & VEGETABLE ‘Shops- for answer, read more! It should be noted that in order to maintain social distancing at the congested Central market, the district administration and MCC had shifted the wholesalers to the Agricultural Produce Marketing Committee ( APMC ) yard, in Baikampady, in the outskirts of Mangaluru. Not just the wholesalers were forced to move out by MCC, even the hundred plus retailers who were operating fruits and vegetable shops inside the Central Market, were also vacated, with no place to run their businesses. (Ref:2 High Court Stay Orders from 2 Parties Could Delay the Upcoming Project of New Central Market ).
It should be noted that there were 151 wholesalers and 337 retailers, but the retailers were not provided with any option since the lockdown started. As many as 103 retailers were also carrying out their trade in stalls and 234 retailers were doing their business in open yard inside the Central Market, who also were paying rent, however, were ordered to move out. Later MCC and Mangaluru Smart City Limited decided to construct a temporary market for all these retailers near Nehru Maidan, but as the work was going on, members of a Football Association objected to this project, and filed a case in the High Court, and HC put a stay order on the construction of temporary market. (Ref: MCC provides Sheds for Retail Merchants of Original Central Market til Temporary Central Market is Built )
In the meantime, until the temporary market gets completed, MLA Vedavyas Kamath and MCC went ahead and constructed a bunch of temporary sheds with tin roofing for the retailers, to continue their trade, but the retailers were reluctant to occupy these sheds citing safety, no facilities, and water leaking during monsoon. (Ref: MCC provides Sheds for Retail Merchants of Original Central Market til Temporary Central Market is Built ). With all these stay orders and other issues pertaining to the upcoming New Central Market, a few retailers who were financially sound, went ahead and started their own fruits and vegetable shops, either on rental basis or on ownership. Due to loss in business during the pandemic, many shops had closed down- and it was easy for these vendors from Central Market to rent or own these shops.
And citizens feel very comfortable to shop in these new fruits and veg shops, since they are very spacious and convenient, and the set up is neat and hygienic, unlike at the old central market, where it was too congested and not so hygienic. Speaking to Team Mangalorean, Abdul Hussain, who recently opened his own fruits & Veg shop at a busy interaction in the City said, “I figured out that the new central market will not come up soon, with all the legal issues. And we can’t wait until the new market opens, so the idea of opening our own business elsewhere clicked in, and it really works. Even though I had to spend a huge sum of money in restoring the shop, and also the rent is higher than I used to pay at Central market, however, there was no other option to open a new shop or sit and do nothing. I am confident that sooner or later, I will succeed in my new shop”.
Rama Shetty, who had a vegetable shop at the old central market for over 25 years said, “With no other option but to move out of the central market on MCC order, for nearly three months I was without any earning, but finally decided to open a new shop near Jeppu area, and my business is pretty good, with lots of people patronizing my shop, since I keep the prices very low, compared to others. Nothing much can be done in order to make a living. I can’t wait till the new central market opens, which may take years, due to a couple of stay orders by High Court”.
