Chennai: The sale of essential commodities came to a grinding halt on Tuesday, after the wholesale traders downed down their shutters at Koyambedu market, following the statewide bandh called by the Opposition party to support the farmer crisis. The ever-busy Koyambedu market resembled an empty ground on Tuesday till 6 pm. V. R. Soundararajan of Koyambedu vegetable traders association said, “We had incurred a loss of '10 crore, due to the bandh. But, we don't regret it, as we support farmers cause.”
Though a few vegetable shops were open, there were no potential buyers, said Soundararajan. The fruits and flower markets of Koyambedu also remained shut on Tuesday. As there was no availability of essential commodities in Koyambedu market, traders relied on the markets on the city outskirts. “Small traders in the suburbs stocked the veggies to be sold on Tuesday. So, there was no dearth felt in localities like Tambaram and Pallavaram,” said trader Manickya Raju.
Private transportation takes a hit:
Normal life was disrupted in the city, as auto rickshaw unions had widely participated in the statewide bandh. Public transportation came to the rescue of people, as all the MTC buses plied on Tuesday. “There was no disruption in the services,” said the spokesperson of MTC. Auto drivers' association actively taken part in the bandh, as none of the 2.5 lakh autos in Tamil Nadu and Puducherry plied on Tuesday. “Except for a few autos, none of them plied on the road,” said M. S. Rajendran, state working president of Tamil Nadu Auto Thoyilalar Sammelanam.
