Ranchi, March 29: It’s hi-tech vegetable and fruit vending through malls and marts, which is the latest rage in the capital.

But, what has proved to be a boon for the customers, is proving to be the bane for common the vegetable vendor, who depends on the daily sale for his everyday income.

Recently when The Telegraph visited the biweekly Morabdi haat, which usually remains packed with sellers, customers and on-lookers, it wore a deserted look. “This is a pathetic scene and not what it should be,” said a housewife who depends on the local market for her family’s daily needs.

But the scene was different before the air-conditioned vegetable markets. There were cars parked before the marts and the outlet was crammed with customers. More than the air conditioned facility and the clean environment, what appears to have pulled the buyers to the outlets is that the items are available at a cheaper rate.

In the daily vegetable and fish market, on way to Kokar, the rates of vegetables have already dipped to lure in customers. A woman who sells vegetable at Morabadi said: “What will happen to my children? Will they have to take to crime then?”

Another lady added: “They (outlets) use chemicals to keep the fruits and vegetables fresh. Don’t worry, customers will come back to us because they cannot go on selling at cheaper rates.”

“But such a difference has to be there. The simple reason is that there are hundreds of farmers, who grow vegetables grown on their fields. Then there are wholesalers, who have no option but to sell the items at a much higher price, because of the transport charge,” said a senior businessman.

Most of the veggie sellers do charge an extra amount that includes transportation cost for bringing the items from the whole sale market.