Urban News

The shops were allotted to traders on Monday through a lottery system despite protests from some traders. Some of them claimed that they have shelled out ` 1,250 for allotment of shops under the system thinking that all the 12 shops would be auctioned. However, to their dismay, only nine shops were to be auctioned.

Interestingly, the allocation was only for 11 shops, official sources said, adding, “Now we found out a file and one more shop was allotted.” He also dismissed the protest by some traders stating that they were following the due procedure and they had come to know of the stay order only recently.

“This is irresponsibility of the authorities. How could they change it in the last hour,” a trader questioned. “While they were selling applications, they never mentioned there is a stay order. But today all of a sudden they sprang a surprise by claiming there is a stay order on three shops,” the trader complained.

Some of them even slammed the CMDA authorities of being unaware of what they are allotting. Interestingly, the allotment of shops comes in the wake of Madras High Court notice on a Public Interest Litigation challenging the provision of the CMDA for providing 15 per cent reservation of shops in the Koyambedu Wholesale Market Complex (KWMC) for allotment under the chairman’s discretionary quota.

CMDA sources said that three shops were not allotted as there was stay order against them. These include N-52, F-17 and C48 I. There was no service shop which figured in the allotment. Sources said the shops were for fruits and vegetables besides a spinach shop.

“The rates vary as per the nature of shops. While a vegetable shop costs ` 2,800 per square feet, a spinach shop (keerai kadai) may cost ` 1,400 per square feet,” CMDA sources told Express on Monday.