The 100-yearold Friday market where you can buy anything from rabbits t o used furniture was back on the usual
Pallavaram
street after a Covid-induced break of six months.
“There used to be a time when traders used to come from as far as Andhra Pradesh to sell cattle at the Friday shandy,” said N Kesavan, a trader at the market. Now buyers and sellers come from all over Chennai and neighbouring districts. The Pallavaram cantonment board, under whose jurisdiction the weekly market falls, got
civic workers
to spray disinfectant along the market road. The civic staff told vendors to ensure that they wear masks at all times and also ensure that their customers wear masks too and to ensure physical distancing norms are followed.
But soon things were back to how they were before the lockdown. Everyone was crowding around looking for the best bargain, and masks were dangling from chins.
According to K Krishnamoorthy, a superintendent with
the Cantonment board
, Friday’s weekly market saw only 50% of the
usual crowd
. “There used to be 200-300 shops set up every Friday. Our assessment was that there were only half the number of vendors and the crowd too was less than usual. However, we expect the crowd to swell from next week and we will safety precautions are in place, said Krishnamoorthy.
Pallavaram cantonment board chief executive officer, H E Harsha told ToI that they have followed all standard operating procedures as laid down by the state government and have sought police co-operation in enforcement and to collect fines.
“The market has opened after six months. By next week, we will have an idea of the challenges and will act accordingly,” said Harsha.
C Kiran(31), a chartered accountant and a resident of Old Pallavaram, who has been visiting the market since his teens said the weekly market is one of the identities of the neighborhood and, in a way, of Chennai city too.
“From old clothes to cattle rearing equipment to iron tools, we get everything at the market at a nominal rate, apart from the usual fruits and vegetables, which are also sold here,” Kiran said.
On Friday too, traders had come with rabbits and birds for sale, a signature feature of the market.
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