At a meeting organised by the Tamil Nadu Vanigar Sangankalin Peramaippu in Chennai on Tuesday, attended by vegetables, fruits and flower merchants, it was decided that they will hold a state-wide strike on August 10 (Monday). Speaking to the press later, Vikramaraja, its President, expressed his dismay over the shutting down of the markets in different places across the state and demanded its immediate reopening.
“We have been continuously requesting the government to reopen markets including Chennai’s Koyambedu. In order to draw the government’s attention, we plan to go on strike on August 10 (Monday) and all markets across the state will be shut. We do not want to gather crowds in the name of protest during a pandemic,” he said.
“If the government does not make favourable announcements, we will have no choice than to announce a continuous strike,” he added.
According to reports, about 20,000 wholesale and retail shops in Chennai are expected to down their shutters on August 10.
Talking about their meeting with Deputy Chief Minister O Panneerselvam Vikramaraja shared, “He has said that the three markets (flowers, fruits and vegetables) inside Koyambedu can be split and streamlined. He also said that a committee can be formed with merchants on board and requested for our cooperation.”
He also pointed out that the government had announced earlier that the Thirumazhisai market will be closed and Koyambedu will soon be reopened. “The government had planned for detailed entry and exit ways and we promised to cooperate. We do not know why there is a delay in doing so now,” he added.
Chennai’s biggest wholesale market at Koyambedu was shut in May this year when the market turned out to become the state’s biggest cluster of COVID-19, spiking the numbers in many other districts. A portion of the market was shifted to Thirumazhisai, where merchants have been complaining of poor infrastructure and consequential damage to goods worth several lakhs.
Watch how the rains have damaged goods at Thirumazhisai market