On Saturday, it will be an adieu to the iconic fruit market at Kothapet, which stood there as a prominent landmark for more than three decades.
Following the government’s decision to shift the market to Batasingaram in Hayatnagar, which will serve as short sojourn before a permanent market is built at Koheda, traders and commission agents at the market have been informed that Saturday will be their last day of transactions here.
Super speciality hospital
In place of the market at Kothapet, government has proposed to construct a super speciality hospital.
Starting from October 1, all fruit auctions and transactions will be held at Batasingaram, the space allocated near Logistics Park.
Commission agents are not a happy lot though. The Kothapet market, also known as Gaddiannaram market, was shifted from the earlier fruit market at Jambagh, way back in 1986. Since then, it has been the only regulated market for purchase and sale of fruits in the city.
Extending over 22 acres of prime land, the market primarily traded in fruit varieties such as mangoes, sweet lime, orange, apple, grapes, water melon, musk melon, and pineapple apart from several other indigenously grown and imported fruit varieties.
Fruits arrived here from far and wide. Apart from various districts of Telangana and Andhra Pradesh, other States such as Maharashtra, Delhi, Himachal Pradesh, Kerala, and Karnataka too contributed to the arrivals here.
Connected continents
It is not an exaggeration to state that the market connected continents. Exotic apples would be brought here from countries such as China, USA, New Zealand, Chile, France, Italy, Belgium and Iran, while plums arrived from Spain, USA, China, and South Africa.
Only 30% of the fruit arriving here is locally consumed. The remaining 70% is exported to States such as Delhi, Uttar Pradesh, Haryana, Gujarat, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, and Maharashtra.
The market has more than 200 shops/sheds and several platforms from where 271 commission agents and 282 hamalis operated. Apart from one ripening chamber of 60 metric tonnes capacity set up by the Market Committee, the commission agents were allowed to establish 640 MT capacity more within their premises.
“We are being asked to shift to Batasingaram without any facilities. There are no security arrangements at the place which is located amid wilderness. There are neither sheds nor platforms where auctions can be conducted,” complained Ibrahim, a commission agent.
“Even with a police station just beside the market, thefts are a daily affair. What kind of security will be available there? The commission agent might merely lose his merchandise. We need to sleep in the market, and it would be a threat to our life,” says Tej Paswan, a labourer.
However, market authorities assure that a huge shed with 50,000 square feet space is being provided for auctions. Security arrangements will be in place, and facilities such as canteen, bank, dormitory, and mobile toilets will be provided.
