Hyderabad: Fruit vendors, labour depressed
Fruit vendors, labour depressed Photo: Srinivas Setty
Hyderabad: With the closure of Kothapet Fruit Market on Sunday and the government decision to relocate it at Batasingaram, vendors, wholesalers, hamalis, commission agents and labourers are depressed.
Their main concern is the transportation cost. They alleged that new market at Batasingaram lack proper amenities. With the shutdown of the market vendors are worried how to sell their stock.
Vendors alleged that the market at Batasingaram lacks civic facilities.
The other problem is transportation. They charged that on Sunday morning the market officials harassed them.
The Kothapet market, also known as Gaddiannaram market, was shifted from the earlier fruit market at Jambagh, way back in 1986. Since then, it has been the only regulated market for purchase and sale of fruits in the city.
According to vendors the market officials took them to the new market at Batasingaram recently. But like the Kothapet fruit market , the new location does not have proper civic amenities.
While the Kothapet market is of 24 acres, has more than 200 shops/sheds and several platforms, the new market does not have any platform or shed. Said Mohammad Asghar, fruit wholesaler , Kothapet fruit market,"we are in a dilemma , as we were asked to shift at Batasingaram from October 1, as the market has been closed permanently.
For the past 30 years I have settled down in the locality close to the market. The main problem we would face is transportation, as the new market is almost 40 km away. Daily to reach the locality we will be forced to spend heavy amounts on transportation. Also the new market is not properly developed. Apart from this, my main concern is remaining fruit stock. I don't know what I will do with it .
Said T Ramu , a daily-wage laborer, "we are being asked to shift to Batasingaram. which is very far from Kothapet. For the past 20 years I have been loading and uploading fruits in the market . Once it gets shifted to Batasingaram we will face hardship to travel, as the new market is located in an isolated place. There is no proper security there.