Bhubaneswar: As many as 78 vendors have been allotted kiosks at Unit II where the Bhubaneswar Municipal Corporation (BMC) will be setting up a fruit market. The new market will be the first in the city to have an organised fruit-vending zone.
On December 22, 2020, fruit vendors were allotted shops on lottery basis but the process of allocation was delayed due to COVID-19 pandemic.
This is a major step under BMC’s inclusive development strategy for street vendors. The welfare step will facilitate mainstreaming the vendors, Mayor Sulochana Das said. “We are also scouting similar opportunities with which more vendors can be benefited.”
The market will accommodate 78 vendors in a G+2 (ground floor, first floor and second floor) complex, with separate shops. Each shop measures 72 square feet (9×8) in dimension.
The BMC will manage parking space, water, sanitation, toilet facilities and a common area on the premises, Deputy Commissioner Pramod Kumar Prusty said.
The vendors will be charged a monthly rent of Rs 35 per sq. feet, apart from electricity and other expenses to be borne by themselves.
A refundable security deposit of rupees four lakh is mandatory for each allottee. A committee will be formed from among the vendors for day to day management and hassle free business in the market, added Das.
