Visakhapatnam’s famous Poorna Market comes to a standstill as traders go on 12-hour protest demanding eviction of unauthorised hawkers

Apart from the COVID-19 lockdown, this is for the first time in the market’s 90-year history that the traders have downed shutters

For the first time in its 90-year history — apart from the COVID-19 lockdown — the city’s landmark Poorna Market went on a total shutdown for 12 hours demanding the eviction of unauthorised hawkers from the surrounding areas.

Stating that the menace of unauthorised hawkers squatting outside the market was going out of hand, the members of the market association including traders, shopkeepers and workers staged a sit-in outside the main entrance gate and raised slogans demanding an end to the practice.

“Apart from the few days during the COVID-19 lockdown, this is for the first time that all shops have downed their shutters on a working day in Poorna Market’s 90-year-old history,” said a member of the Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel Market Association.

The members complain that a large number of hawkers have arranged their stalls either on pushcarts or by encroaching upon pavements in the surroundings of the market area. People coming to the market are leaving after buying essential items from these hawkers, they lamented.

Built in the 1930s, Poorna Market is one of the oldest markets in Visakhapatnam district. The merchants say there are around 600 shops inside the market, selling vegetables, groceries and a wide range of household essentials. Directly and indirectly, over 5,000 families are dependent on the market for their livelihood.

The association members alleged that not many people are aware that the unauthorised hawkers have not only encroached upon the surrounding areas of Poorna Market but have also illegally occupied its vast parking space meant for accommodating cars and two-wheelers of customers. “Customers are thinking twice before coming to Poorna Market now as the parking space is also encroached upon. As a result, they are now deciding to go elsewhere for their regular shopping,” the traders complained.

“We take all the necessary permissions and pay taxes to the government. Still, the hawkers who have unauthorisedly set up stalls outside the market are hurting our business. For some years, we have been suffering financially because of this. This practice has to end. We demand that the traffic police make sure our parking area is clear and it should be used only by customers visiting the market,” a trader said.