Encroachments demolished at Netaji market in Vellore town to improve access for people

Vellore Corporation said traders were issued prior notices asking them to demolish such illegal structures on their own before officials removed these structures on Thursday. | Photo Credit: C. VENKATACHALAPATHY

Encroachments, mostly extensions of the existing shops, and temporary structures inside the British-era Netaji Wholesale Market complex, located opposite the 16th-century Vellore Fort complex, were removed by the Corporation on Thursday to provide easy access for those visiting the facility.

Corporation officials said that the 1.5-acre wholesale market has 736 shops, including 282 retail outlets. The market was built in 1868, two years after the Vellore Municipality was established in 1866. “With the festival season, the demolition drive was aimed at providing more leg space for consumers to walk easily inside the market complex,” S. Venkatesan, Assistant Engineer (AE), Vellore Corporation, told The Hindu.