Huge Income lost by Mangaluru City Corporation (MCC) by Closing Central Market due to Ineffectual Move’- Abdul Rauf, the Opposition Leader in MCC Council
Mangaluru: Addressing the media persons during a press meet held at DK Congress Committee Hall, Mallikatta, Mangaluru, Abdul Rauf -the Mangaluru City Corporation (MCC) opposition leader said, “The ineffectual move made by the MCC in closing the Central Market in March 2020 in the name of Covid-19 pandemic has lost huge income coming in from the traders. Due to this unplanned decision, nearly 400 traders at the Central Market and other labourers who were earning their bread were put into hardship and poverty. With no proper planning and preparations in shutting down the Central market, in the wake of the Pandemic was a BIG mistake made by the MCC authorities.
“The traders/shop owners were forced by MCC to shift to APMC market in Baikampady, in the outskirts of Mangaluru overnight without any planning, thus the nearly Rs one crore income that generates from Central Market got totally stopped. In the meantime, MCC also built a few temporary sheds for the retailers near Town Hall and near Lady Goschen Hospital to run their business, but due to the monsoon, these sheds were not suitable to stock fruits and vegetables, and not safe either due to the blowing winds during thunderstorms. Thus the traders stayed away from doing their business in these sheds. While MCC is paying rent for these temporary tents, it is simply a waste of taxpayers money for a failed plan,” added Rauf.
Rauf further said, “It should be noted that when Congress was at the helm of Mangaluru City Corporation (MCC), and when the markets were getting constructed at Kadri, Urwa, Alake, Kankanady, Bejai, and Kavoor, we made necessary arrangements to run their business. But now look at the situation that these traders are facing under the BJP rule by putting them on the streets, some of them are earning their living as street vendors. All this was due to the total ineffectual move made by MCC from forcing the traders out of Central Market”.
Corporators A C Vinayaraj, Lancelot Pinto, Bhaskar K (ex-Mayor) Praveen Chandra Alva, Shamshuddin, Anil Kumar, Keshava, among others were seated on the dais during the press meet.