Construction of integrated vegetable and grocery market at Solar on track

With over 60% of the work on the ₹18.48-crore integrated vegetable and grocery market at Solar in Erode completed, officials are optimistic about finishing the remaining work within the next six months.

Traders operating from the Nethaji Vegetable and Fruit Market Complex on R.K.V. Road in Erode city were relocated to the V.O.C. Park ground in 2020 during COVID-19 due to space constraints. The old market complex was later demolished, and a new facility comprising 268 shops was built at a cost of ₹29.85 crore. However, as the new complex could not accommodate more than 700 traders, the civic body proposed the construction of an integrated market at Solar. The project was announced by Chief Minister M.K. Stalin on March 13, 2024, and the foundation stone was laid during his visit to Erode on December 20, 2024.

Construction began in 2025 with an 18-month completion schedule. The market is being developed in three modules — the first with 702 shops, the second with 32 shops, and the third with 60 shops. The facility will also include four godowns each for fruits and vegetables, groceries, and rice, along with 1.46 acres of parking space for two-wheelers and four-wheelers. In all, the market will cover 4,22,532 sq. ft., accommodating 794 shops with a built-up area of 8,909.4 sq. m.

A senior Corporation engineer told The Hindu that the work was progressing as planned and that the remaining construction would be completed by June 2026.