Ambattur Uzhavar Sandhai all set for second innings

While the facility has 100 shops, only 25 of them are being allocated in the first phase

Seventy-year-old G Raman, a farmer from Pammathukulam who cultivates a variety of greens, sends his produce to the markets at Koyambedu, Villivakkam, T Nagar and a few other places.

He will soon set aside a portion of his produce for the Uzhavar Sandhai (farmers’ market) at Ambattur on CTH Road, as the market is all set to reopen after a decade-long hiatus.

Raman would actually be resuming operations at Ambattur Uzhavar Sandhai: He had a rent-free shop at the Ambattur facility when it was established in April 2000. With the facility going into a lull since 2010, Raman turned his back on it.

Like Raman, farmers from Keelkondaiyar, Karlapakkam, Palavedu, Pandeeswaram, Pammathukulam, Lakshmipuram, SarathKandigai and Thriumullaivoyal villages will set up shop at the Ambattur facility, which will function under the aegis of the Tamil Nadu Agricultural Marketing & Agri Business, as do all Uzhavar Sandhais across the State.

Under renovation, the Ambattur facility will be ready for operations in less than a month.

To garner patronage for the Ambattur facility, the Tiruvallur team of the department has come up with various measures.

“With support from the Ambattur MLA Mr. Joseph Samuel, a bus-stop was set up near the market in early June. Soon, zebra-crossing will be marked on CTH Road in front of the facility. We are also spreading the word about the reopening of the facility among nearby industrial units and residents. The Ambattur railway station can easily be accessed through this Uzhavar Sandhai. Hence, an entrance to the station will be created,” says a senior official.