CHENNAI: It has been almost seven months since the Friday market at Pallavaram was shifted to the new location, but the vendors allege that they are unhappy with the place and claim it has been giving them more problems than before.The Friday market, known for its variety of products, has been functioning in Pallavaram since 1836 and thousands of traders make a living out of it. The vendors said they were shifted to a new location within the St Thomas Mount cum Pallavaram Cantonment Board area as ISRO and IGCAR are supposedly coming up with a research facility in the old location. But ever since they moved from the Bazaar Road to the Old Trunk Road, vendors have claimed that they are unhappy due to many reasons.They say that unlike the previous location of the market, the new place was given to a contractor and the vendors are forced to pay them for both the space of the shop, as well as for the parking. “We have to come overnight to catch a good space for us. On top of that we have to pay `50 to `100 for our shop. What money will we earn if we keep giving everything away,” complained Paneerselvam from Vadapalani, who sells second-hand books.It is not just vendors from surrounding areas who sell their produce here, even those from faraway places like Trichy, Ulundurpet, Chidambaram, Padappai and even from Andhra Pradesh come to Pallavaram on Fridays. Women vendors who flock to the market in large numbers to make sales have their own issues. They claim, that they shut shopsas early as 7pm as they face problems from drunken customers.“There is a hill right behind our market. Many men drink after dark and come here. In the old market, we used to put up shops at 6 or 7am and shut down only by 11pm. Here we pack up by 6 or 7pm,” said Radhika, a gypsy, who sells plastic toys.Besides, the old market was always packed with customers throughout the day, and the vendors feel that the number of customers the new market attracts is much lesser in comparison.To make things worse, the vendors say that even some of their old and regular customers do not turn up since the new location is far away from the main road. “The old market was located on a piece of land where the shops were put up one behind the other, so the customers could go to all the shops easily. Also, there were trees around, so one can even pause to rest when its hot. Here, the market is on one long stretch and customers find it difficult to walk the entire length, and as a result, only those who put up shops at either ends of the market make some sales. Those in the middle make less or no sale at all,” said Venketsan, who sells sickles (aruval). “During summers, it is hot and in winters, there is no way for the rain water to drain easily since we are located so close to the hills. We are left with no other option but to shut our shops,” he added.With the vendors complaining about safety measures, contractor Baskar said that the market in the new location is a much better place than the old one when it comes to causing traffic jams. “There used to be traffic problems in the old place. Here, it is much better. Also, the area belongs to the Cantonment board and we pay `26,000 every week to them, so collecting from the vendors is the only way, but we charge less. We have provided lights and toilets for the vendors. There is nothing more that we can do,” he said.
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