Chennai’s Koyambedu Wholesale Market Complex reopens after four-month shutdown due to coronavirus

Four months after it was shut down due to its emergence as a “super-spreader” of the novel coronavirus, the sprawling Koyambedu Wholesale Market Complex (KWMC) reopened on Monday with stringent safety measures in place.

The KWMC, the largest in Asia, was closed down on May 5, 2020, and the market functioned from a makeshift complex on the outskirts of the city for the past four months. Following relaxation of the Covid-19 lockdown, the Tamil Nadu government had last month announced phased reopening of the market – the food grains market is functioning since September 18.

The market was shut down after it became a major Covid-19 cluster as thousands of people converged there every day to buy vegetables during the first two phases of the lockdown.

Market reopens amid strict restrictions

The market complex, which is spread over nearly 70 acres, came to life once again on Sunday evening as hundreds of vehicle came from across the state to unload vegetables. The government has, for now, allowed only 196 wholesale shops to function and has earmarked timings for vehicles to enter the complex for unloading and to load vegetables from the market.

The Chennai Metropolitan Development Authority (CMDA), which maintains the KWMC, has spruced up the entire complex by installing CCTV cameras, erecting new sheds and other facilities to ensure that the rules are followed. Entry of auto rickshaws and two-wheelers have been banned inside the complex, while entry and exit of vehicles will be regulated.

Additional security personnel have been posted to check the body temperature of those entering the complex using thermal scanners and the CMDA has installed sanitisers at vantage points to enable people to clean their hands. Arrangements have also been made to collect swab samples of traders and workers.

“We allow only 50 vehicles inside the complex at once and disinfectant is sprayed on every vehicle that will enter the market. Unloading of vegetables will be allowed only from 6 pm to 12 am after which vehicles that come to take the supplies from here will be allowed,” a CMDA official said.

Prices of vegetables will come down

Abdul Khader, secretary of Koyambedu Vegetable Wholesale Merchants’ Association, told Deccan Herald that the government should allow other shops also to function shortly so that the prices of vegetables come down considerably.

“We agree with the government that safety measures should be given priority. We have instructed all wholesale traders to wear face masks and keep hand sanitisers prominently at their shops. We are happy with the arrangements done by the government, but we want all shops to open,” he added. However, there were complaints that physical distancing and other rules were not being followed.

Another trader said the prices of vegetables would come down considerably in the next few days as the KWMC can accommodate more lorries when compared to the makeshift complex. “Already the prices of vegetables have come down and it will slide down further once the market here gets fully functional. The more the supplies we get, the more the prices will reduce,” he said.

Why is Koyambedu market the largest in Asia?

The market consists of over 3,000 shops and employs 15,000 labourers, while the footfall is estimated to over 50,000 every day.

The market complex, huge in size with 18 entry and exit points, was inaugurated in 1996 after which all wholesale vendors shifted here from the over-crowded market in the narrow lanes of Kothavalasavadi in the city. Since then, Koyambedu is the go-to place for any vegetable wholesale vendor in Tamil Nadu.

It will not be an exaggeration to say that the market never sleeps as it is abuzz with some activity or the other round-the-clock. Koyambedu is one of the largest perishable markets in Asia, generating crores of rupees in revenue every day, as vegetables, fruits, and flowers are sold in tons.

Supplies for the wholesale market come from across Tamil Nadu, neighbouring states like Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Kerala, and Telangana and even from far-away Maharashtra and West Bengal.