The Hindu

Mangalore, Jun 20: Infrastructure created at a cost of over Rs. 30 crore on the city's outskirts, aimed at relocating about 500 wholesale traders from the heart of the city, lies grossly underutilised with barely a handful of traders functioning from there.

As you enter the decade-old Agricultural Produce Marketing Committee (APMC) yard located at Baikampady you see rows of unoccupied shops. The yard should have been a hub of activity. But there are fewer than 35 traders, mostly hailing from Gujarat, who have set up shop, trading in arecanut. All those interviewed said they had got licences to function from there four to six years ago.

President of the APMC K. Krishnaraj Hegde told The Hindu on Wednesday that 125 traders were functioning from there, including about 60 traders who had shifted from Bunder.. However, this statement was contradicted by the traders. This reporter could not find any trader there who had shifted from Bunder.

Mr. Hegde then went back on his statement and said that the traders had only taken possession of godowns. He said the Baikampady APMC yard was one of those in the State with “all infrastructure".. Mr. Hegde said that the State Government had issued a notification on April 27, 2007, according to which trading in agricultural produce anywhere other than the new yard was illegal. Thus, trading at Bunder was not allowed any longer. He said that licences of the traders would not be renewed this year unless they shifted. This, he said, had forced some of the traders to set up shop in the new yard.

Honorary secretary of the Kanara Chamber of Commerce and Industry (KCCI) and president of Old Bunder Wholesale Kirana Merchants Association G.G. Mohandas Prabhu said the yard authorities had coerced 100 traders into agreeing to shift to the new yard. These merchants had complained to the KCCI in this regard. However, Mr. Hegde denied this.

The roads within the premises of the Baikampady APMC yard are in a bad condition. There are many potholes on the yard's main road. The traders said trucks often got stuck in the slush in the rainy season. Mr. Hegde agreed that the main road “has collapsed" and said it would be concreted at a cost of Rs. 3 crore. Work would begin in a month or two, he said.