Political parties urge Salem Corporation to sort out VOC market tender issues to generate revenue

Political parties, including the DMK and AIADMK, urged the Salem Corporation to benignant retired the tender issues successful auctioning shops astatine VOC marketplace soon to make gross for the Corporation.

The V.O. Chidambaran (VOC) marketplace is 1 of the main angiosperm and rootlike markets successful Salem town. From each implicit the districts, flowers, fruits, and vegetables scope this marketplace for sales.

Under the Smart Cities Mission, the VOC market was demolished, and constructed with capable facilities at a outgo of ₹14.58 crore. Later, for providing additional facilities, the Corporation spent ₹1.50 crore. In June 2023, Chief Minister M.K. Stalin inaugurated the market. In November 2023, Salem Corporation auctioned the shops successful the marketplace and an idiosyncratic took the shops for ₹9.11 crore. The idiosyncratic paid for the shops for the archetypal year, but allegedly failed to marque the outgo for the 2nd year.

While the Corporation tried to reauction the shops, the idiosyncratic moved the tribunal and got a enactment for the tender process six months ago. The DMK and AIADMK members demanded the Corporation successful the monthly assembly gathering to benignant retired the issues quickly.

Opposition person successful the Corporation N. Yadhavamoorthy (AIADMK) said that utilizing governmental influence, a tender was allegedly allocated and the idiosyncratic who took the tender failed to wage the money. Now the Corporation collects ₹100 per time from each store successful the VOC market. For the past six months, the Corporation collected this amount, done which it sustained a nonaccomplishment to the tune of ₹6 crore.

If the Corporation fixes the deposit magnitude for each store and monthly rent, galore volition travel to instrumentality shops successful auction. The idiosyncratic who took the tender allegedly collected respective lakhs from the shopkeepers arsenic a deposit amount. The Corporation should look into the contented and benignant retired the ineligible issues and reauction the shops, Mr. Yadhavamoorthy added.

Salem Corporation Commissioner M. Elangovan said that receipts are fixed to the shopkeepers for the magnitude collected from them by the Corporation. Steps are taken to assistance the enactment connected the tender done ineligible process. Once the enactment is lifted, the shops volition beryllium auctioned, the Commissioner added.