CUTTACK: The Chatra Bazaar vegetable market in Cuttack, considered one of the oldest markets in the State, has been in a state of neglect for years. It witnesses a congregation of vendors not only from different districts but also from neighbouring states like Andhra Pradesh, Chhattisgarh and West Bengal. Managed jointly by the Chatra Bazaar Traders Association and the Cuttack Municipal Corporation (CMC), the market that stretches over 1 km lacks basic amenities like drinking water and toilets and to top it, the place is full of filth and dirt. It has three entry and exit points from Mahatab Road, Bajarakabati and College Square.Incessant rains that lashed the city this week made the condition of the market worse. Heaps of garbage, puddles and slushy pathways that emanate stench make customers cringe before stepping into the market. Worse, there is traffic congestion in the area throughout the day as heavy vehicles are allowed inside the narrow lanes of the market to load and unload vegetable stocks in godowns. Besides, there is no space inside the market for parking of two-wheelers. The market has over 2000 shops doing brisk business, both wholesale and retail. Scores of people shop here for vegetables and fruits everyday amid filth and slush. One has to carefully pick one’s way through the animal wastes and squalor. The market lacks a proper drainage system and rotten fruits, vegetables and plantain leaves are heaped all throughout. Most of the time, these waste materials are thrown into two canals that pass through the market including the Taladanda Canal by the vendors.There are just three large dust bins that have been placed at two points in the market by the CMC whereas seven trucks of garbage are generated from Chatra Bazaar on a daily basis.“The market is a breeding ground for all kinds of diseases. Forget hygiene, there is not even minimum amenities here. The garbage heaps in the morning form a good grazing ground for cattle as well,’ said Pradipta Das, a customer. However, Das adds that things were even worse before a concrete road was laid in the market. Secretary of Chatra Bazaar Traders Association Debendra Sahu said the association employs six sweepers to clean the market every evening. ‘‘Though the CMC is also taking steps to clean the market, that does not suffice,’’ he added. “We had proposed certain plans for development of the market to the CMC but nothing has materialised yet,” he lamented.On the other hand, Commissioner of CMC Rabi Narayan Nanda said the sweepers appointed by the civic body clean the market twice a day. On parking zones, he said that the market lacks space for creation of a parking zone or any other market structure. “This is a market that has been functioning for several years now and its very difficult to change the way vendors have been functioning. Yet, we are in the process of formulating development projects for Chatra Bazaar keeping all the factors in mind,” he said.Sources said a decade back, an attempt was made by the CMC to relocate the vendors to pucca shops set up across the Pilgrim Road to decongest the area. The initiative, however, did not materialise as Pilgrim Road did not fetch as much business as the Chatra Bazaar for the vendors. They subsequently shifted back.
Comments
0 comment