Mangalore: Bunder Area Declared Sub-Yard, Merchants Celebrate

The Hindu

Mangalore, Nov 14: The State Government has decided to retain Bunder area, where traders have been traditionally engaged in wholesale trading in agricultural products, as a market sub-yard.

A controversy had arisen following traders’ opposition to move to the 81-acre Agriculture Produce Marketing Committee (APMC) yard, constructed by the Government at Baikampady on the outskirts of the city. The Bunder area traders had contended that the Baikampady yard was far away from the city and their shifting there would result in loss of revenue for them.

The APMC on its part had alleged that the Bunder area traders were trying to avoid their business activities being regulated as they had to account for entry and exit of their commodities at Baikampady yard.

Some political leaders had taken the cause of those traders at Bunder area who had refused to move into the APMC yard after the latter declined to renew their licences if they did not move into the Baikampady yard. Those supporting it said that the Bunder area was close to the three national highways, railway station and Deputy Commissioner’s office and that the farmers would have to bear additional transportation cost, if they were asked to carry their produce to Baikampady for trading. Those who opposed the move contended that the farmers could fetch a fair price for their produce at Baikampady yard, besides availing the benefits of accurate measurement of their goods. About Rs. 30 crore had been spent on building the new yard and a vast land acquired for setting up a regulated market. Declaring the Bunder area as sub yard was against the APMC (Maintenance and Development) Act, 1966, they had argued.

The Government notification said that the objections were overruled in view of the public interest and “recent trends in agricultural marketing.” The notification has earmarked the area where wholesale trade in agriculture produce could be allowed — east Dr. U.P. Mallaya Road, Hamnakatta Chowk, K.N. Rao Road, Kodialbail, Lalbagh and Hat Hill; west: the Gurupur River; north: Hat Hill-Urwa Market Road up to Lady Hill, Sulthan Bathery Road, and Sulthan Bathery to the Gurupur River; south: Government Ice Factory, Pinto Road, Mangaladevi Cross Road, Mangaladevi Main Road, Pandeshwar Road and District Police Office. G.G. Mohandas Prabhu, president of the Old Bunder Wholesale Kirana and Allied Merchants’ Association, however, said that the association was willing to sort out “all pending issues” with the APMC and move into Baikampady yard in the next four years. About 600 traders accounted for a turn over of about Rs. 3,000 crore a year in Bunder sub-yard, he said.

The traders celebrated the Government’s announcement of retaining the Bunder area as a Market sub-yard on Wednesday.