Khandsa market cold storage facility in cold storage

GURGAON: The cold storage system for fruits and vegetables at Khandsa market, which was constructed two years back at a cost more than Rs 50 lakh in a two-acre area, is yet to become functional.
Traders and merchants associated with fruit and vegetable business had welcomed the decision when the Haryana government started the project two years back.Finally, the cold storage was inaugurated in June. Before the inauguration, the Haryana State Marketing Board had issued a circular to shopkeepers saying that from June onwards, they will be allowed to store their vegetables, fruits and grains according to the requirements and in return, they will have to pay a small amount to the marketing board.
However, the facility is yet to become functional.
"Vegetable and fruit vendors are still waiting for the cold storage to become functional. It took two years to complete the facility and even after its completion, the cold storage is not ready for use. We do not know what is stopping the authorities from opening the facility for traders?" said Ved Pal Raghav, president, Gurgaon Vyapar Mandal.
"The vegetable market has more than 150 shops, vegetable sellers, wholesalers and other shops. Every day, about 250 tonnes of vegetable come here, but owing to lack of cold storage facility, around 80 tonnes go waste," said Bimal Kumar, a wholesale member of the market association.
"Shopkeepers are ready to pay the charges for availing themselves of the facility. We have to throw several tonnes of rotten fruits and vegetable into the garbage. If the government had given us the facility, we could have stored our fruits and vegetables safely," said Kamal Kumar, a wholesaler.
Vinay Kumar Yadav, executive officer and secretary, Haryana State Agricultural Marketing Board, Gurgaon, said, "We will start the storage facility from Navaratra. The storage has been given on lease to a private company. The storage can benefit 1,000 wholesalers at a time. It has capacity of storing 1,200 tonnes of produce at the temperature of 4.5 Degrees celsius. Just the work of laying the water pipelines is left. I hope this will be over within a few days."