More than 150 food grain wholesalers and fruit traders of Dhanbad operating from Agriculture Produce Market Committee (APMC) market complex at Barwaddah are apprehending huge losses after the district administration served notices to 21 shop keepers to establish strong room to keep ballot boxes for the upcoming civic elections.

The shopkeepers under the banner of Dhanbad Jila Khadyann Vyavasi Sangh are planning to meet Dhanbad Deputy Commissioner Uma Shankar Singh in a day or two apprising him about their concern of huge losses due to the sealing of the market complex as it happened during the last assembly election of 2019.

Talking to The Telegraph Online on Monday, Vinod Kumar Gupta, President of Dhanbad Jila Khadyann Vyavasi Sangh said, “Though, the Government Polytechnic College campus at Babudih was used as strong room and counting centre till 2014 assembly and parliamentary elections but since 2019 elections, APMC Market was designated as strong room and counting centre aggravating our difficulties.”

‘Though, our trade was not greatly affected during the Lok Sabha elections of 2019 when the entire market complex was not sealed but only a few number of shops were used as strong room but the difficulties surmounted during the assembly elections of 2019 when the entire market complex remained sealed for more than 15 days completely affecting the trade and causing losses worth several hundred crores,” said Gupta.

“As the 21 shop keepers who have been given notices last week have so far not been told by the administration whether the entire market complex will be sealed or only their shop will be used, it is difficult for other traders like us to make necessary preparations to avoid losses,” said another food grain trader Vikash Kandhway.

“Last year, we faced double blow in the form of demurrage charges paid to transporters due to abrupt sealing of the market complex as the trucks carrying foodgrains who reached from other parts of country immediately after the sealing of market complex had been kept waiting for 15 days outside the market complex to unload” said another trader requesting anonymity.

“We also faced rotting of good grains lying in the market complex due to sealing of the market on short notice during last assembly elections,” said another food grain trader.

“We also want to cooperate with the administration and just wanted that the sealing of the entire market complex should be avoided and instead only required shops may be used as a strong room,'' said a wholesale fruit trader operating from APMC Market complex at Barwaddah.

Dhanbad Deputy Commissioner while interacting with media last week during an inspection of APMC market complex as part of preparations for upcoming civic body elections sympathized with the concerns of the traders but said the election is more important.