Land for Amma weekly markets identified
Posted on: 06/Jun/2016 3:50:52 PM
Chennai’s inaugural Amma weekly markets will be held in three finalised locations. These are a strip of land near Mint flyover, Arumbakkam (near Tamil Nadu Pollution Control Board office) and near the Varasiddhi Vinayakar temple in Kotturpuram. The market will feature products from government aided and self help groups from across the State.
According to sources, Mayor Saidai S Duraisamy (is) keen to get as many of his council announcements off the ground before the end of his term. The election to the corporation council will be held in October. There has been a fillip from the Mayor`s office post the state assembly election. He instructed us to push through with Amma brand projects.
Initially, the Chennai Corporation was looking out for a five acre plot. But then, it was decided to settle for a much lesser ground space. Say the officials, Plans were gathering pace but it was difficult to fix a time frame on the launch because of organisation-related issues. It`s the first attempt of its kind for us and this is not our area of specialisation. We have to coordinate with at least 10 government departments before we have a proper idea. The market may not be expansive in its set-up as envisioned by the Mayor. What we are trying to do is to provide a platform for small manufacturers to display their products in the hope that they can attract customers. There will be no middlemen involved.
The next project is Amma theatres. Say the officials, After scouting locations in T Nagar and Mogappair among others, it appears that easibility of the project have fallen drastically to the point where it is now considered a non-starter. We had sent draft proposals to the government but there has been no word back on it.
