RAYAGADA: A market complex that was set up in 2011 to accommodate vegetable vendors under one roof is lying unused. The vendors continue to encroach the roads in the town to sell their produce even as shops built for them in the Biju Patnaik market complex at Kasturi Nagar remain unoccupied.
At least 500 vegetable vendors operate near the main market road, under the overbridge, near Sub-Collector’s office and PWD office road, often leading to traffic congestion in the areas.
The Public Works Department had spent over Rs 50 lakh to construct the market complex and handed it over to Rayagada Municipality but the latter has failed to make it operational till date. Sources said the civic body allocated shops to a few vendors but they never used them.
On several occasions in the past, the police and civic body staff have removed the vendors from the roads but they keep on returning after a few days.
There is another mini vegetable market complex near the PWD office that was set up in 2012 and 10 vendors were given shops against a security deposit of Rs 45,000 each. However, except two shops, the rest have not been electrified. Even as vendors have been demanding the civic body to provide them the shops with all amenities, no step has been taken so far.
Executive Officer of Rayagada Municipality Sachidananda Satpathy said the municipality has served notices on the vendors who were allocated shops but did not use those at Kasturi Nagar complex. Action will be taken against them if they do not use the shops, he added.
The officer further informed that an enumeration of vegetable vendors in the town is on and all of them will be accommodated in the two vegetables market complexes.
“We are planning to build four more permanent vegetable market complexes in different parts of Rayagada Municipality to cater to the needs of buyers under one roof,” he said.