File picture of a vendor at Kamli Bazar weekly haat in Sambalpur

Sambalpur, Dec. 4: The municipality will convert the weekly haat at Kamli Bazar into a daily vegetable market to ensure congestion-free roads.

The Kamli Bazar weekly haat is the oldest organised market in the city. Deputy commissioner of Sambalpur Alexander Bulstrode Cumberledge established the haat in 1864.

The haat, which is held every Sunday, provided the first organised platform for local agricultural producer, artisans and weavers to sell their produces at one place.“The vegetable vendors, who are operating their business along the road, will be accommodated in the Kamli Bazar weekly haat. The haat will be converted into a daily market. We have decided to take up some development works in the market for this purpose,” said executive officer of the Sambalpur Municipality Anirudhha Padhan.The vegetable vendors, who are operating their business along the Laxmi Talkies Chhak-Modipara Road, in front of Ashapali School, near Nelson Mandela Chhak will be accommodated in the Kamli Bazar. Around 250 roadside vegetable vendors will get place in the Kamli Bazar haat.Padhan also said the decision had been taken for smooth plying of city buses. “Thirty-two buses have already been procured for the city bus service. The buses are in Bhubaneswar now,” said Pradhan.“The roadside vegetable markets contribute to severe traffic congestion on roads. It is essential to accommodate those vendors in organised markets for the smooth plying of the buses,” said local resident Basant Hati.“One can see the vegetable vendors sitting along the road at Ainthapali, in front of Ashapali School, on VSS Marg, Kacheri Road and in many more areas of the city. Because of the lack of required number of organised markets, the vendors are encroaching upon the roadside. The decision to accommodate the vendors at the Kamli Bazar weekly haat is praiseworthy,” said Hati.On the other hand, the city residents have also hoped that the civic body’s initiative would give a new lease of life to the oldest organised market in the city.“Though the Kamli Bazar weekly market is the oldest organised market in the city, it has been lying neglected. However, as the civic body has now decided to convert the haat into a daily market, the historical Kamli Bazar weekly haat will find a new lease of life,” said local resident Smruti Ranjan Lenka.