The 400-odd footpath vendors of Sakchi market have finally been shifted to a new address from Tuesday - the sprawling Aambagan ground.

The popular 'Mangala Haat', organised every Tuesday inside the market has been shifted to the new venue too.

" All footpath vendors have agreed to transact business from the new venue. We, therefore decked up the ground with colourful balloons on Tuesday to attract customers, " said Md. Shamim, a footwear vendor who has been running a makeshift shop inside the Sakchi market for the last 12 years.

Another garment vendor Arun Kumar said, " We are happy to shift to the new venue though many customers are not aware of the change. Gradually, they will come to know and we hope it will be business as usual in the days to come."

Notably, a Quick Response Team ( QRT ) had to be deployed in Sakchi market last month to remove the footpath vendors.

Dhalbhum sub-divisional officer (SDO) Nitish Kumar Singh had earlier issued a directive to make Sakchi market free from vendors.

The police had launched a crackdown last month and had removed over 100 makeshift shops from Sakchi market after recieving regular complaints from permanent shopkeepers against footpath vendors.

After the makeshift shops were cleared, the aggrieved vendors came to the Sakchi police station and demanded an alternative place to run their business from.

They police asked them to move to the nearby Aambagan ground but they were initially reluctant to follow the order.

A senior official of Jamshedpur Notified Area Committee ( JNAC ), Ravi Bharti said, " We could finally convince the vendors to shift to the new venue. This will help Sakchi market visitors move around freely without any hassles. The footpath vendors were creating commotion as well as hygiene problems."