No more bumpy ride to Koyambedu Market as concrete roads to be completed by April

C Shivakumar

Chennai:

There won’t be any more bumpy rides to Koyambedu Market soon with the work on laying of concrete roads expected to get over by April this year, according to Chief Administrative Officer of Market Management Committee (MMC) P Senthil Kumar.

Kumar told Express on Tuesday that the work on laying of concrete roads, under the Rs 33 crore infrastructure development fund, is expected to be completed by this April.

The work is progressing on in A, C and E road. “We are taking one half of the road at a time. In C road one portion is complete. The work in A road is 80 per cent completed while 50 per cent of E road or link road is being taken by Metro Rail, CMRL will be building a truck bay and the road,” he said.

But traders like M Thiyagarajan, who has tomato wholesale business and is president of Chennai Koyambedu Periyar Market Taksali Vyaparigal Sangam feels that the work should be speed up.

Meanwhile, Tamil Nadu Urban Infrastructure Financial Services (TNUIFSL) has launched a study on improvement of market infrastructure.

The study which was started a month ago will focus on augmentation of revenue besides improvement of market infrastructure, said Kumar.

He also said there are plans to build dormitories for market workers and those coming from outside following demands from the traders. “We are identifying land for the purpose,” he said.

MMC is also lunching a clean-up drive in the market and is installing 38 boards in different parts of the market. The boards urge the traders to keep the market clean.

Similarly, MMC is planning to look for an alternative for healthcare for Koyambedu market. “Appasamy Hospital was providing us with First Aid but now traders wanted 24 hour healthcare as such we looking for an alternative,” said Kumar.

To a query over delay in operating the truck terminal near Koyambedu market, Kumar said it due to the lack of Common Facility building. “the tenders have been floated. There is also plans to have a parking space for koyambedu market,” he said.

He said all the toilets in the market will also be renovated under the public private partnership mode. “A tender has been floated and price has to be notified,” he added.

Box:

Biomethanation plant fails again

The Rs 5.50 crore bio-methanation plant which started  generating power from the solid waste of Koyambedu market last year has again hit a roadblock.

Chief Administrative Officer of Market Management Committee (MMC) P Senthil Kumar told Express that the plan has not been functioning for a month due to technical glitches.

“Top officials from Central Leather research Institute are inspecting the site on Wednesday,” he said.

The plant is operated by Hyderabad based Ramky Group, which took over the plant after signing an agreement with the Chennai Metropolitan Development Authority.