Chief minister Naveen Patnaik lays foundation stone for a new wholesalers’ market at Balughat in Rourkela. Picture by Uttam Kumar Pal

Rourkela, March 3: A new wholesale market complex or mandi would shortly come up on 12 acres at Balughat on the city outskirts here.

The new market will not only provide all the big traders a single platform to sell their goods, it will also help reduce traffic congestions.

The cost of construction of the new market has been estimated at Rs 200 crore. The new market will provide space to around 3,000 big wholesale dealers.

Vice-chairman of the local regulated market committee Ramesh Agarwal said there was no such centralised facilities for big traders in the town and the wholesalers were scattered across the city.

“Most of the times, goods vehicles create traffic congestion in and around the present wholesale markets. Local residents and commuters face problems because of the traffic chaos,” he said.

“We decided to set up the wholesale market for the wholesalers,” he said, adding that the central government had provided funds for this purpose.

The new wholesale market is expected to provide employment to around 2,000 people. Vegetable, fruit, fish, meat and other perishable as well as non-perishable items will be sold here in wholesale, providing opportunity to traders as well as town residents to get these items from one place.

“The proposed market will benefit retailers the most,” said Kalendi Badajena, a trader. Chief minister Naveen Patnaik laid the foundation stone for the wholesale market during his marathon inauguration and foundation-stone laying spree in the district last week.