The Hindu Business Line : Bunder area may get back APMC market yard status

Mangalore May 17 The Agriculture Produce Marketing Committee (APMC) market yard status to Bunder area in Old Mangalore is likely to be restored, if the outcome of the high-level meeting of the traders and elected representatives with the State Government is any indication.

A high-level meeting on Thursday — which was convened by the Karnataka Minister for Agriculture Marketing, Mr Sharanabasappa Darshanapur, with the elected representatives from Dakshina Kannada district and traders from Bunder area in Old Mangalore — decided to allow Bunder as APMC (Agriculture Produce Marketing Committee) market yard.

The meeting was necessitated following a notification of the Karnataka Agriculture Marketing Department. The notification dated April 27 had cancelled the APMC yard status to Bunder in Old Mangalore. It directed the traders to shift their trading activities to Baikampady area in Mangalore.

Various trade bodies from Bunder area, which met on May 14, decided to take the help of the elected representatives from the district to tackle the issue.

Sources, who attended the meeting, told Business Line that in view of the opinions expressed by the elected representatives from the district it was decided to restore the APMC market yard status to Bunder area. The department has taken note of the wishes of the elected representatives and traders, they said. Nearly 2,500 families are dependent on Bunder area for their livelihood, they added.

Traders were opposing the move to shift to Baikampady area, as Bunder was close to the city. Their grouse was that Baikampady, which is 15 km away from the city, lacked some basic facilities for their operations.

The MLAs from the district — Mr Yogish Bhat, Mr Padmanabha Kottari, Mr Angara and Ms Shakuntala Shetty — the district in-charge minister, Mr B. Nagaraja Shetty; the President of the Dakshina Kannada Zilla Panchayat, Ms Sushma Janardhan; and the President of the Old Bunder Wholesale Kirana and Allied Merchants' Association, Mr G.G. Mohandas Prabhu, also attended the meeting.