RAJ KUMAR
Ranchi, Oct.18: A market for vegetable vendors is not coming as a solution against encroachment in the city as vendors continue to squat in public places and busy roadsides.
It was experienced after Ranchi Municipal Corporation readied another vegetable market near Naga Baba Khatal to get rid of encroachment near Raj Bhawan and another being readied near distillery pond in Kokar though triple storey vegetable market at Harmu constructed in 13000 square feet area behind Harmu Panch Mandir by the Jharkhand State Housing Board seven years ago failed to serve its intended purpose.
People passing through Harmu still face the problem of encroachment as the vendors still squat on the roadsides selling every item, including vegetables, mutton, chicken, and fish besides others including fast food, fruit, furniture, puja materials, and toys besides others.
A Harmu resident supported the observation saying the market worth Rs 3 crore with over 200 stalls and a community hall, inaugurated on the eve of Independence Day in 2014 by Congress leader Yogendra Sao, has now turned into a haunted house thronged by drunkards and drug addicts.
“All vendors were provided space in the market but vendors instead of carrying out their business from this market continue sitting beside the road. They use the space provided in the market as a godown to store the vegetables they purchase from wholesalers for retail marketing. The market is not maintained properly. Most of the time drug addicts keep on sitting in the market. Though during Durga Puja some initiatives were taken to improve the security and maintenance of the market, proper use of the market is yet to be started,” the resident said.
Executive Engineer (EE) of Jharkhand State Housing Board Sanjeev Kumar supported the observation saying some additional steps are required to be taken to ensure that the market should be used for the intended purpose.
“There should be a clause at the time of the agreement that could allow the authority to cancel the agreement in case of non-use of the space for the intended purpose,” EE Kumar said.
Councilor of ward 26 Arun Kumar Jha, however, said unlike the market constructed by the housing board, the RMC vegetable market will serve its intended purpose.
“RMC has a strong enforcement team. Once the market is allotted to vendors a stretch between Kishori Yadav Chowk to State Bank of India will be declared no vending zone and then in case of any encroachment RMC enforcement team will take action,” RMC councilor Jha said adding that “after construction of Atal Smriti Vendor Market the road from Kutchery Chowk to Saheed Chowk was declared no vending zone and situation improved.”
A vendor, however, contradicted Jha. “The market is really no solution for encroachment. New vendors will surface in double numbers once old ones are shifted to the market. The business of vegetables in the marketing complex is not beneficial. A vegetable market has also been constructed by RMC at Khadgarha but it failed to remove encroachment of the locality,” the vendor said.
