The plot at Jagabandhu Sahi in Berhampur where a vending zone is supposed to come up. Picture by Gopal Krishna Reddy

Berhampur, Aug. 26: The Berhampur Municipal Corporation is planning to set up a vending zone to cater to the needs of residents of five wards of the city.

“We have proposed to construct a new vending zone on a three-acre government plot at Jagabandhu Sahi in ward No. 7. The land belongs to the fisheries department and there is an unused pond, which is in the process of filling. The land needs to be levelled,” said ward councillor N. Appa Rao.

At present, residents of Old Berhampur depend on the makeshift vegetable market near Balunkeswar temple and fish market at Anand Nagar Canal Sahi, which are open for a limited period of the day. “Construction of a permanent vending zone would definitely help the local residents buy vegetables at their convenient time,” said Appa Rao.

“We planned to add a fish market to the vending zone to help the local residents buy vegetables as well as meat. This will also put an end to the traffic congestion,” he said.

“We chose the site at Jagabandhu Sahi for the new vending zone, because the place can be reached from Balunkeswar temple, Laxminrusingha Sahi and Dandasi Sahi,” said Laxmi Sethi, the councillor of ward No. 1.

Local residents, too, expressed happiness over the decision to establish the vending zone. “It is difficult for us to buy vegetables from the makeshift market near Balunkeswar temple. We miss the vendors if we are late,” said Narayan Dhadei, a resident of Haridakhandi Road.