The Hindu : Tamil Nadu / Chennai News : Traders set to shift to Sathangadu

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Monday, May 05, 2008
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Tamil Nadu

Tamil Nadu - Chennai

Traders set to shift to Sathangadu

J. Malarvizhi

Decision to move iron and steel traders has been delayed by over a decade

This follows meeting between traders, Minister
650 of the 850 plots have been allotted

— File Photo

Time to move: Iron rods being transported at Broadway.

CHENNAI: Iron and steel traders have consented to move to the Sathangadu market complex near Tiruvottiyur, according to Chennai Metropolitan Development Authority (CMDA) officials.

Delayed by over a decade, the initiative is set to take off following a recent meeting between traders and CMDA Chairman and Information Minister Parithi Illamvazhuthi.

The Housing and Urban Development Department had issued orders declaring the Iron and Steel Market at Sathangadu as “Market Area” with effect from March 1, 1999. It is “located ideally — over 203 acres near Tiruvottiyur on the periphery of the city, with ready access to the Chennai City Port and Tiruvottiyur railhead,” according to information provided by the CMDA.

Plots allotted

The layout comprises 850 plots, of which 650 have been allotted, besides 48 acres of land allotted in bulk. Major stockists are SAIL and VSP. About one acre of land has been allotted for petrol pumps for HPCL and IOC, the CMDA website adds.

Traders currently operate from the congested George Town area in the city’s Central Business District. Lorries are not allowed during most of the day and small trucks and carts are the most favoured modes of transporting long iron rods.

They often prove a traffic hazard. Traders agree that operating in George Town is cumbersome but have requested for additional infrastructure and perks at the market before shifting. Retailers might not find it viable to shift, some traders point out.

It is wholesalers and retailers-cum-stockists who are likely to find the move useful.

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