Rural economy hit due to closure of weekly markets

Aurangabad, April 1:

Due to the increasing number of corona patients, the district administration has ordered to keep the 92 weekly markets in 8 tehsils of the district closed. This has hampered the rural economy.

The weekly market, which is held on a certain day of the week, is the backbone of the rural economy. It supports more than 150 families in a single village. Not only this, the gram panchayat gets a large amount of revenue from the weekly market auction. The total annual turnover of these 92 weekly markets is over Rs 300 crore. Due to the crowd in the markets and the non-observance of any restrictions, the district administration has closed the weekly markets again from March. The families dependent on the market are starving. Vendors of vegetables, grains, pulses, edible oils, retailers of clothes, cutlery, mobile accessories are also facing financial difficulties. The villagers are now raising the question as to why only the weekly markets are closed whereas other shops are open.

Financial blow to Gram Panchayats

The weekly market fills up every Monday at Wadodbazar. It is one of the largest weekly markets in the district. The turnover in a weekly market is around Rs 2 to 3 crores. The Gram Panchayat gets an annual income of up to Rs 50 lakhs from the auction of contracts in this market. But the closure of the market has impacted GP revenue. As a result, development work has come to a standstill, said Gopal Wagh, deputy Sarpanch Wadodbazar.