Cuttack, May 13: The Cuttack Chamber of Commerce (CCC) has urged the civic body to waive holding tax for Malgodown traders if it is unable to provide civic facilities to them.

Malgodown is the largest wholesale mandi (market) for essential commodities in the state. It is spread over 25 acres, 80 per cent of which belongs to the East Coast Railway.

"Yesterday, we submitted a memorandum to the mayor citing how Malgodown had been reeling from civic neglect for years now and was in need of urgent attention," CCC secretary B.K. Mohanty told The Telegraph today.

In its memorandum, the CCC, which is the umbrella organisation of Malgodown traders, has sought immediate attention to their basic problems related to toilets, garbage disposal, water supply, drainage and sanitation.

If the Cuttack Municipal Corporation fails to provide civic amenities to the Malgodown traders, it should waive holding tax for them, so that they can create a public welfare fund out of it and solve their civic problems, Mohanty said.

The civic body collects around Rs 10 lakh annually towards holding tax and licence fee from nearly 1,200 traders at Malgodown.

Mayor Meenakshi Behera said: "I have received the memorandum from the Malgodown traders and ordered an on-the-spot assessment of their problems. A team of officials will visit Malgodown on Monday to take stock of the situation there."

"Action will be taken as early as possible on the basis of their report," she said.

The CCC has urged for construction of around seven toilets at Malgodown. The couple of toilets, built years ago, have become almost unusable. More than 10,000 traders - from both in and outside the state - visit Malgodown every day. Shortage of urinals, therefore, becomes a problem for them, Mohanty further said in the memorandum.

The CCC also sought urgent measure to improve the drainage system at Malgodown. "Almost all drains at Malgodown are choked leading a problem in discharging waste water," CCC joint secretary Prafulla Chatoi said.

"The situation worsens during rains. As the drains remain choked, most of the godowns and shops are inundated by rainwater overflowing from the drains," said Prasant Patra, another joint secretary of the CCC.

Deputy mayor Ajay Barik said: "We will take all possible steps to address the grievances of the traders."

Local councillor Anil Niladri said: "Work on three to four toilets has been delayed as the traders have not come forward with the locations for setting them up."

The British government had set up Malgodown in Cuttack after the great famine of 1866 as a precautionary measure to stock food grains with an inland dock facility at the Taladanda canal connecting it with the Bay of Bengal in Paradip.