Rythu bazaars in Vizag to get a day off from next week

The district administration has decided to introduce the weekly-off system for the rythu bazaars in Vizag. On Friday, Visakhapatnam Joint Collector, Venugopal Reddy, has announced that the weekly-off system will be implemented from the coming month in the city.

The city has 13 rythu bazaars, which were set up in 2000. These exist at MVP Colony, Seethammadhara, Akkayyapalem, Madhurawada, Gopalapatnam, Marripalem, Kancherapalem, Pendurti, Gajuwaka, Steel Plant, Mulagada, Pedagantyada, and Pedda Waltair.

According to officials, the rythu bazaars at Gopalapatnam, Kancharapalem, Seethammadhara, Peda Waltair, Peda Gantyada, and Mulagada, will remain closed on Tuesdays. On the other hand, the rythu bazaars at MVP Colony, Narasimha Nagar, Marripalem, Gajuwaka, Pendurthi, Steel Plant, and Madhurwada will be given a day off on Wednesdays. “The weekly-off system is already being followed in many parts of the state. A day-off will help clean the bazaars as well as provide a rest day to farmers and the officials,” read a release issued by Marketing Department.

Earlier in March 2020, Visakhapatnam District Collector, V Vinay Chand (IAS), had moved the crowded rythu bazaars in Vizag, to schools, colleges, and municipal grounds, to enable physical distancing, amid the global pandemic.

Following the lockdown, only one person from the family was allowed to purchase the essential commodities. The district authorities had also set up additional rythu bazaars temporarily in the city to curtail crowd congestion. Furthermore, the authorities had issued passes to the farmers from the nearby villages including Sabbavaram, Devarapalli, and Anandapuram, to visit Vizag to sell the vegetables and other essential commodities. In line with the central government’s unlock guidelines, the rythu bazaars were later shifted back from the colleges and grounds.