Neeraj Bagga

Tribune News Service

Amritsar, July 3

Fruit and vegetable dealers and vendors at the wholesale market at Vallah have a new ray of hope after the Defence Ministry reduces the area of no-construction zone around ammunition depots.Situated in the vicinity of Vallah ammunition depot of the Army, the progress of the Vallah Mandi had stopped due to restrictions enforced to safeguard the vital defence installation. Fruit and Vegetable Merchants Union general secretary Surinder Bindra said the Director General of Defence Estates through a circular dated October 21 had stated that ammunition depots were categorised into two categories and no-construction zones were reduced to 10 metres and 50 metres in each of them.He said the circular was put on the internet, but the local authorities were not aware of it. He requested the district administration to confirm the matter with the Central and state governments to implement it locally.Union president Ravinder Singh Sekhon said the ammunition depot came into existence in 2004 and during the same time the wholesale fruit and vegetable market was also shifted out of the congested part of the city to Vallah. He said due to restriction of construction within a periphery of 1,000 yards of the ammunition depot, many shops could not be raised. He said even simple amenities were also denied.Sekhon said 75 traders, uprooted from the old Sabzi Mandi outside the Hall Gate, were allotted space in the new market in 2004. Fourty concrete shops were constructed. The remaining 35 traders were not allowed in the new market after the ammunition depot rules were enforced. These disgruntled traders went to the Court and on the directions of the Court, the Mandi Board relocated these 35 traders to a new site within the Vallah Mandi in 2010.However, the traders failed to get enough business as the site was not suitably located in the main market. Now, these traders are demanding swift implementation of the rules so that they can get a modern market with all amenities.In December 2013, Operational and Logistics Branch of the Home Department carried out a survey of all ammunition depots in Punjab, including Vallah, to ascertain if any reduction in the notified area could be made, he recalled.

Construction area to increase

Situated in the vicinity of ammunition depot of the Army, the progress of the Vallah Mandi had stopped due to restrictions enforced to safeguard the vital defence installation. Fruit and Vegetable Merchants Union general secretary Surinder Bindra said the circular in this regard was available on internet, but the local authorities were not aware of it. He requested the district administration to implement it locally as soon as possible.