Agri Dept’s Bangana vegetable market lying abandoned for years

The Bangana Subdivisional Fruit and Vegetable market, constructed in the Kutlehar Assembly segment along the Una to Hamirpur National Highway in Thanakalan village of Una district, is lying closed ever since it was handed over to the Agriculture Produce Marketing Committee (APMC) of the Una agriculture department.

According to information collected from government sources, the building, having seven shops, was constructed by the Panchayati Raj and Rural Development departments in 2017-2018 for the purpose of setting a ‘Rural Haat’ to showcase and sell different items produced by women Self Help Groups of the area. Local MLA Virender Kanwar was the then Minister for Panchayati Raj and Rural Development departments.

The intentions of the ‘Rural haat’ to provide market access to products made by women SHGs never materialised and the complex remained unutilised for about three years. In 2020, the building was handed over to the Una district APMC for use as fruit and vegetable sub-market.

Secretary of the Una APMC Bhupinder Singh Thakur said after the Agriculture Department took over the buiding, a sum of about Rs 35 lakh was spent on laying pavers and providing proper road access to the building by constructing a small bridge over the drain between the road and the building complex. He said initially, one or two traders (arhtiyas) rented a shop each on a monthly rent of Rs 3,500, but they failed in the business since the agriculture produce in the neighbouring areas was insufficient.

Bhupinder Singh said for the last four years, the Bangana Fruit and Vegetable Sub Market building was lying unutilised. He said the Rent Reasonability Certificate (RRC) of each shop had been revised by the Public Works Department to about Rs 4,000 per month, including GST, and no trader was willing to rent a shop here on this amount. He said the APMC is even willing to rent out shops in the APMC Sub Market for purposes other than selling farm produce so as to bring revenue to the Committee. He, however, said there were no takers.

Vijay Sharma, a progressive farmer, from Malangar village in Bangana subdivision, said a number of farmers, including their family, cultivated vegetables on large chunks of land, but were forced to transport their produce to the APMC in the nearby Hamirpur district. He said local farmers would benefit immensely if the Bangana Fruit and Vegetable Sub Market is activated by the government, adding that the transportation expenditure will be greatly reduced, thereby increasing the farm income.