Bhubaneswar Market Building to remain shut from today
The Unit-II Market Building, one of the oldest and most affordable shopping destinations in Odisha's capital, was closed indefinitely on Monday.
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Bhubaneswar: The Unit-II Market Building, one of the oldest and most affordable shopping destinations in Odisha's capital, was closed indefinitely on Monday, with shopkeepers resorting to agitation over the Bhubaneswar Municipal Corporation's (BMC) alleged failure to resolve an ongoing dispute between makeshift and permanent vendors.
"The Central Market Traders' Association decided to close the shutters because the BMC did not evict the makeshift shops," said Pradyumna Kumar Jena, president of the association.
He also stated that 165 traders have joined the agitation and will hold a dharna on the Market Building grounds.
The shopkeepers have also threatened to hold a dharna in front of Mayor Sulochana Das' and BMC Commissioner Vijay Amruta Kulange's homes. The association has given the city civic body three days to resolve the issue.
The shopkeepers claimed that despite restrictions on footpath encroachment, temporary vendors continue to operate at the location, causing unnecessary congestion at the market complex. They also claimed that a few BMC officials were attempting to protect the owners of the makeshift stalls by collecting money from them.
In the past, this conflict has disrupted the operation of the Market Building, resulting in temporary closures of the shopping complex. A scuffle erupted last August when the complex's traders demanded that the temporary vendors relocate and clear the pathways. The association then decided to close their doors until a permanent solution to the alleged encroachment of the footpath by temporary vendors could be devised.
