A new vegetable market is set to replace the old one in the cantonment area of Sehore city, with the project valued at Rs 1 crore. The ground-breaking ceremony, known as Bhoomi Pujan, was officiated by Municipal Chairman Prince Rathore and MLA Sudesh Rai on October 3rd. Subsequently, the Groundreport team evaluated the current market's conditions and engaged in discussions with vegetable vendors.
Sehore Municipality President, Prince Rathore, has announced plans to construct a new vegetable market that prioritizes the convenience of traders. The proposed design includes a ground-floor parking facility, with space allocated above for the traders' businesses. The timeline for the commencement and completion of the project, however, remains undetermined. The vegetable vendor says,
"We are waiting for new vegetable market to be constructed. However, we would be grateful if the municipality could ensure the sanitation, and cleanliness in the existing one."
Mohammad Anees, who has been running a vegetable shop here for the last 40 years, says
“For the last 14 days, people from the municipality have not come inside the market to collect garbage. Cleanliness is not taken care of at all. Here, people urinate against the wall, and due to the bad smell, the customers do not even like to come to the market inside. We have also complained to the Municipality Chairman and the MLA. They say that they will get it done... but, nothing happens.”
Naushe Qureshi, another vegetable seller, says
“Looking at the spider webs hanging here, you can guess when the cleaning was done.” He adds, “Earlier the vegetable auction used to be held here in the cantonment itself. But, now we have to bring vegetables early in the morning from Galla Mandi, 5 kilometres away. Not only does it cost to bring vegetables from there, but various taxes are also deducted. Hence, the profits of this work have reduced. On top of that, due to rising prices of vegetables due to inflation, the customer base is also decreasing.”
We must inform you that the current vegetable market in Sehore is covered by a tin shed. This produced considerable heat during scorching summers that contributed to the potential spoilage of vegetables. Many vendors eschew the overheated tin sheds, preferring to station their carts outdoors along the roads. Unfortunately, this practice creates traffic congestion, leading to significant vehicular problems and inconvenience for the public.
If the new vegetable market is designed systematically, the majority of current issues could be significantly reduced. Apart from the design, current reconstruction plans fail to address the requirements for cold storage and vegetable waste processing systems. A forward-thinking approach incorporated into the new vegetable market project, alongside its new structure, might well have transformed it into a model example.
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