Andhra Pradesh - Guntur

Trading still continues in chilli yard gutted in May

Photo: T. Vijaya Kumar

Grading of chillies in progress on Monday at Guntur Agriculture Market Yard. The yard is getting ready for a new season from February 1. —

GUNTUR: Ad hocism continues in setting up a new agriculture market yard on the city outskirts with licensed commission agents, hamalis and the Agriculture Market Committee showing least interest in shifting out from the premises that got gutted in May.

A Rs.240-crore proposal to set up a most-modern marketing facility with computerised weighing, storage facility and shops for all the 575 licence-holders at Kothamallaipalem in Prathipadu mandal has been rejected. Wakf Board land to the extent of 233 acres is available and another 60 acres needs to be acquired, but objections have poured in from all quarters.

New chilli yard could not be established due to inordinate delay in identifying suitable land and lack of unity among stake holders on the location of the proposed yard. Meanwhile, chilli auction season is round the corner with new crop likely to arrive from January-end despite a month’s delay in sowing operations in majority of Palnadu mandals.

Guntur Agriculture Market Committee Chairman Lella Appi Reddy told The Hindu that in view of the urgency to continue chilli auctions from next season, the managing committee got a sanction for Rs. 3.73 crore to construct temporary sheds on the 49.73-acre land that would eventually be converted into terminal vegetable market.

Tendering process through e-procurement has begun and tenders were opened on December 1. About 1.14 lakh square feet would be available by February 1, he observed and all licence-holders have been permitted by the Commissioner Marketing to construct temporary structures at their old places.

"We propose to widen the roads by 10 feet on either side to enable free movement of vehicles, but at a final meeting with chilli traders’ association, this will be finalised," Mr. Reddy said. Meanwhile, the final project layout has to be submitted to the Department of Fire to obtain NoC with respect to provision of fire-fighting equipment and proper setbacks.

Guntur Chilli Merchants’ and Traders’ Association president Kilaru Roshaiah said the association had shown a land close to Pothur on the National Highway No.5 so that distance from the existing 69 cold storages to traders’ shopping premises does not increase.

Majority of the 375 exporters in addition to 575 commission agents also prefer the chilli yard to be as close to existing one as possible.

Currently about 4,000 hamalis work on the yard and during the chilli auction season another 1,000 to 2,000 additional number of hamalis will join the workforce, in addition to equal number of women employed for grading and all of them hail from the city.

The AMC is also in favour of the land at Lingayapalem, about 7 k.m. from existing yard, where land would be acquired at market price if the Government gives a go-ahead, said Mr. Appi Reddy. Collector B. Venkatesham is still looking at various options of shifting the market yard as promised by Chief Minister Y.S. Rajasekhara Reddy soon after the inferno on May 3.

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