# Vellore market empty despite Rs 37.5 lakh facelift, rent cut 2026-08-19T19:15:58+00:00 | Governance | Indian Opinion Desk Corroboration: 1 independent outlet The Vellore municipal corporation's market at Anna Salai, built for fruit and vegetable vendors under the Smart Cities Mission in 2015-16 at Rs 82.90 lakh, has failed to attract or retain traders despite a rent cut and a Rs 37.50-lakh renovation in 2024-25. All 147 shops, expanded from 3 ft x 6 ft to 6 ft x 6 ft after renovation, now stand vacant. Traders say poor visibility deters customers, and the facility has become a site for illegal garbage dumping, alcohol consumption, and open defecation. The market originally had 200 shops, attracting vendors for only three months after opening. Rent was cut from Rs 100 per day to Rs 40, but trade revived only briefly after renovation before slumping again. Vellore Vanigar Sangam leader Gnanavelu said vendors are unwilling due to lack of visibility. The sangam has suggested converting the market into a parking lot to prevent anti-social activities. Social activist Vikaram Vinodh Kumar said the market should be allotted to street vendors from Burma Bazaar if they are willing, else it will be a waste of public money. A corporation official denied knowledge of anti-social activities and said a few vendors operate in the mornings. Corporation Commissioner A Sultana could not be reached for comment. ## Indian Opinion Analysis The Anna Salai market is the second major Smart Cities Mission facility in Vellore to fail, after a similar multi-crore market project elsewhere in the district ran into disputes. The Rs 82.90 lakh investment, plus the Rs 37.50 lakh renovation, totals over Rs 1.20 crore of public money with zero current revenue. The core design flaw, as vendors state, is the enclosed layout that blocks customer visibility, a problem not addressed in either construction or renovation. Converting the market to a parking lot would require a change of land use approval from the municipal council. The next step is a likely council meeting where the Vanigar Sangam's proposal will be formally taken up. ## Coverage - newindianexpress.com Leads with the market's failure despite government spending, but attributes all criticisms to traders and activists, not the reporter's own judgement. This story was synthesised by AI from the source linked above. Tags: Gnanavelu, Smart Cities Mission, Vellore, Vellore Corporation Canonical: https://indianopinion.org/vellore-market-empty-despite-rs-37-5-lakh-facelift-rent-cut/ License: Summary and commentary (c) Indian Opinion, reusable with attribution. Facts belong to the linked sources. Cite: https://indianopinion.org/vellore-market-empty-despite-rs-37-5-lakh-facelift-rent-cut/#story-in-brief Review state: restored archive article, accurate at time of publication, not offered to search indexes. How this brief was made: an AI model read the report linked above and wrote this summary and analysis, which were published automatically. Published briefs are sampled every hour by an automated quality check; the editor verifies its findings and approves corrections, and corrected briefs carry a dated correction line. We do no original reporting. Methodology: https://indianopinion.org/ai-use-policy/