Five months on, no takers for new vegetable market in Tiruvallur

CHENNAI: Five months after its inauguration, the newly built daily vegetable market on Ikkadu Road in Tiruvallur remains completely abandoned. Owing to the persistent lack of interest from vendors and bidders, the Tiruvallur Municipality is now planning to relocate the market to the old bus terminus on Rajaji Salai and to use the new vegetable market as a godown.

The market was built at Rs 1.87 crore and inaugurated in March 2026 by former Chief Minister MK Stalin, and it has failed to attract a single contractor through the tender process.

Sources in the Tiruvallur Municipality admitted that five separate attempts were made to auction and tender the shops at the newly constructed vegetable market at Ikkadu Road, but contractors did not show any interest.

"Acknowledging the lack of interest from bidders to take up the space, the municipality is planning to use the old bus terminus for the new vegetable market. Once the bus operations are fully transitioned to the new terminus in Vengadanallur," sources told DT Next.Vegetable vendors pointed out that the new market complex is located outside the town. Shifting their business would severely impact daily footfall and business.

The relocation of the primary vegetable market came amidst growing frustration among residents regarding traffic bottlenecks in the town.

The primary market currently functions along the narrow Bazaar and Kondamapuram streets, where over 50 registered vendors and numerous street hawkers operate. High traffic and narrow lanes create severe hardships for the public to navigate.

"The new market at Ekkadu Road was designed with 96 vendor stalls, cold storage, restrooms, and other basic facilities for vendors. Due to the cramped location and lack of space in the primary market, both vendors and the public face significant inconvenience, and traffic congestion worsens by the day. But nobody is ready to move to the new market because of the distance," said S Santhosh, a resident.

The municipality constructed a full-fledged market with 96 shops and proper amenities to ease the burden on Bazaar Street. Yet, despite having all necessary facilities ready, not a single shop is operational today, lamented A Nirmal, another resident.

Tiruvallur Municipality officials said, "The road laying works are under way at the new vegetable market, and we are planning to use the facility as a godown."

On July 28, the Tiruvallur district administration informed the public that the new bus terminus constructed for Rs 36 crore at Vengadanallur will be fully brought to public use from August 10.