Gnanapuram wholesale market needs modernisation, says MP Sribharat
Visakhapatnam MP M. Sribharat said the Gnanapuram Wholesale Vegetable Market in Visakhapatnam needs to be upgraded and modernised to meet the city’s growing commercial demands and future development needs.
During his visit to the market yard on Wednesday morning, the MP reviewed the daily operations and interacted with traders, workers, and representatives of the farming community.
He said the market, which handles large-scale commercial activity, requires improved infrastructure facilities such as parking spaces, loading and unloading zones, internal roads, storage facilities, sanitation, and traffic management systems.
Mr. Sribharat observed that the existing market system would need to be upgraded to meet future demand and suggested the development of an integrated wholesale market yard with proper highway connectivity to improve transportation and logistics.
Referring to the Koyambedu Wholesale Market Complex in Chennai as a successful model, he said well-planned wholesale markets could serve as major economic centres for urban areas. Initial concerns over relocation or modernisation were natural, he said, adding that traders and consumers would gradually adapt once better facilities became available.
The MP said hundreds of families were dependent on the market for their livelihood. According to him, about 60 traders, over 500 workers, and nearly 100 clerical staff members and assistants are associated with the market ecosystem. He stressed that development works should be taken up in phases without affecting livelihoods.
Mr. Sribharat said infrastructure development was essential for the future growth of Visakhapatnam and assured stakeholders that efforts would be made to develop the Gnanapuram Wholesale Market into a modern trading centre with the cooperation of traders, farmers, and workers.
Representatives of the Vaishnavi Wholesale Vegetable Market Association, including president K. Veerraju and secretary V. Paramesh, were present.