PIONEER EDGE NEWS SERVICE/Dehradun
Due to their longstanding and unmet demands to relocate the Sunday market farther away from the city, which is currently situated at Ranger Ground, the Doon Valley Mahanagar Udyog Vyapar Mandal (DVMUVM) plans to escalate its efforts, including organising protests and other actions. The Sunday market has been a contentious issue for the shopkeepers in Paltan Bazaar, who claim it negatively impacts their business. These shopkeepers have persistently urged the authorities to move the Sunday market to a location far from the city. In light of this situation, the DVMUVM had previously approached the mayor also regarding the market’s relocation, resulting in the market being suspended from Ranger Ground for four Sundays. However, the issue cropped up again as authorities have re-established at the same site.
A shopkeeper Vinod Kohli stated that the Sunday market at the Rangers Ground, located in the centre of the city, has had a direct impact on their businesses. He said that people are able to find items at more affordable prices in the Sunday market compared to regular shops. The convenience of accessing the Sunday market has negatively affected shopkeepers like himself, prompting him to urge authorities to act on this issue.
Another shopkeeper, Bindu Chaturvedi (name changed) echoed this sentiment, suggesting that the authorities should move the Sunday market further away from the city, as it has been financially detrimental to their sales.
The president of DVMUVM, Pankaj Masson stated that they have been voicing their concerns about the Sunday market’s effects on the shopkeepers of Paltan Bazaar for an extended period. The market in question was held at the Rangers ground last Sunday as well. Despite their persistent efforts, the market continues to operate at that location every Sunday. He said that there is now a glimmer of hope for the market’s relocation, as shopkeepers have also begun to express their concerns to the authorities. Recently, officials from the Municipal Corporation of Dehradun (MCD) visited the market, where shopkeepers voiced their concerns and asked that the Sunday market be relocated far from the city. Masson further stated that if the market is not relocated soon, they will take action, which may include protests, a bazaar closure and other measures, as well as petitioning the district magistrate for assistance.
