The Hindu Business Line : Vizag rythu bazaar to make way for multiplex

Visakhapatnam, July 1 The decision of the Visakhapatnam Urban Development Authority (VUDA) to relocate the rythu bazaar in the MVP Colony here to an adjacent site has come in for sharp criticism from the residents of the colony as well the general public.

The VUDA has taken the decision, as the present site of the rythu bazaar has been allocated for the construction of a multiplex and a commercial complex, fetching it Rs 10 crore in the bargain.

Relocation

The rythu bazaar was set up way back in 1999 by the Chandrababu Naidu Government, and it was adjudged the best in the State and given an award. The relocation of such a bazaar to make way for a commercial complex and multiplex, without consulting the farmers and residents of the colony, was unwarranted, according to Mr E.A.S Sarma, a former bureaucrat and currently a social activist. “Farmers from far and near, many of them tribals, come to the rythu bazaar and it is hugely popular with them. Now their interests are being relegated to the background. Such unilateral decisions by the VUDA are not justifiable,” he said.

However, Mr P.S.N. Raju, Chairman of the VUDA, was of the view that there was no need to raise a hue and cry over the relocation of the bazaar. “To put it in perspective, the bazaar is not being shifted to any far-off place, but only being relocated in an adjacent site which also belongs to the VUDA. The farmers, or the general public, are not being put to any kind of hardship. The extent of the bazaar has not been reduced and 167 stalls have been constructed in the new bazaar instead of 142 in the old one. Adequate parking facilities have been provided,” he said.

Mr Raju said relocation had become inevitable, as the commercial complex and the multiplex needed access from both the sides. “We are providing all the amenities in the relocated bazaar and the farmers have no complaints. The VUDA gains Rs 10 crore, which can be spent on other projects. As the city grows, such adjustments become necessary. We have not sacrificed the interests of farmers,” he said.

The residents of the colony, however, have lodged a protest with VUDA.

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Vizag rythu bazaar to make way for multiplex