Traders Hopes of Starting Their Business Today Shattered, as Cops Block All Road Entrances to Central Market!
Mangaluru : Tit-for-Tat, as they say with an attitude of Mangaluru City Corporation Officials towards the wholesale traders of Mangaluru Central Market, who were ready to open their businesses today, 9 June 2020 at the original Central market- “If you have the power to violate the Court order and operate your businesses, we too also have the power to stop you all from opening your shops?”. And that was the scene at the Mangaluru central market, where a patrol of Cops, from senior officers to constables had guard the Market from any intruders, and also had blocked all the entrances leading to Central market with barricades. And the traders were left in the shadows, waiting to get an answer from their Union leaders, what would be the next step.
The Central Market Merchants Association had a press meet yesterday at the Mangaluru Press Club, where the president of the Association Mustafa Kunhi had told the media personnel that no matter what the traders would start operating their businesses at the central market on 9 June 2020, since the lockdown has be relaxed, and many businesses have resumed their operations. (Ref: Traders Say ‘We’ll Start Operating Business at Mluru Central Market on 9 June’, while MCC says ‘We’ll Not allow It?’ ). The wholesale merchants who were shifted to Agriculture Produce Market Committee (APMC) Yard in Baikampady on 8 April 2020, from the City’s Central market, had decided to come back to their original “Home” to start their business again, starting 9 June.
It should be noted that in order to maintain social distancing at the congested Central market, the district admin and MCC had shifted the wholesalers to APMC yard, and now that the lockdown has been relaxed, the traders wanted to come back to the City. During the press meet, Mustafa had said that MCC should give them a opportunity to carry out the business in the City, and not at a dilapidated APMC Yard. “We also ask the admin to provide us police security while we resume our business here” added Mustafa.
It should be noted that there are 151 wholesalers and 337 retailers, but the retailers are not provided with any option since the lockdown started. “Initially, we will start our wholesale business from Central market, and eventually will urge the MCC to allow the retailers also to carry out their business here. Even though we were handling our business from outside the market building, with no issues of social distancing, but we were shifted by force, putting us all in distress. We were not or will not do our business illegally, since we have all the required licenses from MCC and we were regularly paying rent. 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- so why is MCC putting us all in hardships” said Mustafa Kunhi.
In the meantime, the legal advisor of the association, Manamohan Jois had said, “The High Court has issued a stay order for shifting of traders and demolition of the Central market old building. It should be noted that Central market is a sub yard of APMC. Hence, the MCC does not have any power in it. MCC should take prior permission from the state government to take up their decisions and activities”. Having spoken from their side, by the President of the Traders Association and by their advocate, MCC didn’t give a heed to their explanations, instead requested the police authorities to stop the traders from operating their businesses today-and the Central market vicinity is under total control of the police, since 4 am in the morning.
Traders were all geared up to start their business at the original Mangaluru
Central Market this morning- but their efforts are all in vain?
When Team Mangalorean contacted Deputy Commissioner of the Mangaluru City Corporation Dr Santhosh Kumar, he said, “When the traders themselves had approached the High Court and had brought a stay order on the demolishing of the old Central market, how can they all of a sudden decide to occupy their original business places and start operating their businesses. For two reasons we had made the traders to shift from Mangaluru Central market to APMC, was for-1) due to lack of place during the lockdown due to social distancing, and also the building was not safe any more to do business; and 2) we have plans to demolish the old building in order to give way for a state-of-the-art new central market. When this issue is still pending in the Court, how can these traders occupy their shops and resume business. We had informed the police not to allow the traders to start their business here in the City on 9 June, and they have obliged us in providing total security in and around the Central Market. And if the traders go against our order/will , we will take legal action in the Court, and until then won’t allow them to carry on with their trade at the City’s Central Market”.
MORE DETAILS WILL BE UPDATED SOON AFTER DISCUSSIONS BETWEEN TRADERS ASSOCIATION AND MCC
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