Makeshift markets are struggling to get started in Nagpur

NAGPUR: The Nagpur Municipal Corporation (NMC) is yet to start vegetable markets at 24 designated playgrounds or open spaces even after a week since the announcement. Because of the delay, the number of vegetable growers’ markets has reduced to 10 in different parts of the city on Wednesday.
From April 1, in an effort to ensure social distancing and stop people from crowding vegetable markets, municipal commissioner Tukaram Mundhe had announced 24 playgrounds or open spaces as makeshift vegetable markets.The NMC had also announced that all weekly vegetable and roadside markets, which were either shut due to the anti-encroachment drive or the coronavirus scare, will be shifted to playgrounds.
Subsequently, out of the 10 zones, the NMC is allowing farmers to sell their vegetables in open spaces or playgrounds in nine zones, excluding Satranjipura. From day one, mismanagement by the civic body has come to the fore.
“The NMC could never make all the 24 markets operational. It exposed the NMC’s poor administration,” said Ashish Raut, a vegetable grower from Ooty village.
According to sources, the markets which remained opened on Wednesday included Ram Nagar and Yeshwant Stadium in Dharampeth zone, Reshimbagh and Budhwar Bazaar in Hanuman Nagar zone, Raja Baksha ground in Nehru Nagar zone, Gadi Khana and Budhwar Bazaar in Gandhibagh zone, Sardar Patel Marg in Lakadganj zone, Kalamna Ring Road in Ashi Nagar and Jaripatka fruit market in Mangalwari zone.
The growers told TOI that vegetable farmers from across the district have suffered a huge crop loss not due to the lockdown but due to poor mismanagement by the NMC.
“Firstly, NMC closed Cotton Market, restricted growers’ entry into the Kalamna market and later, declared 24 open spaces across the city for vegetable markets. With no basic arrangements of drinking water, toilets and uneven surfaces in most of the open spaces declared as vegetable markets have found no takers,” rued Chetan Kewate, another grower.
Even markets like Jaitala, Zingabai Takli ground, Sadar ground, which were opened in the first few days, too, were found shut, admitted a senior official from the NMC.
A grower from Khaparkehda confirmed that he along with a couple of growers from his village had stopped coming to the Nagpur market due to mismanagement.
While responding to a query, the officer pointed out that most of the vegetable growers were from the south district and prefer Reshimbagh and Budhwari bazaar. The NMC has already restricted the entry of growers at Reshimbagh so that they go to other places.
Mundhe said the NMC has already started diverting vehicles directly to different playgrounds where markets have propped up. “Around 10 have started and the remaining are in the process,” he explained.