A section of traders at Palayam market agree to shift to Kalluthankadavu

The new market complex at Kalluthankadavu. | Photo Credit: K. RAGESH A section of traders at the Palayam vegetable and fruit market have agreed to shift to the new market complex at Kalluthankadavu (New Palayam Market), provided the necessary facilities are arranged there.The traders conveyed their willingness at a meeting convened by Kozhikode Mayor O. Sadasivan on Saturday. Only a small number of wholsesale merchants attended the meeting, while the others abstained.The traders who attended the meeting, however, raised concerns over the location of some of the shops allotted to them. They said some of the rooms earmarked for merchants were on the upper floors and demanded that they be shifted to the ground floor. They said locating the shops upstairs would affect their business as well as the movement of goods vehicles. The present-day Palayam market in Kozhikode. | Photo Credit: K. RAGESH Meanwhile, the Palayam Vegetable Market Coordination Committee stayed away from the meeting, saying that it had not received an official invitation. The Kozhikode Corporation has decided to convene a separate meeting with the committee on September 10. The civic body is also considering inviting leaders of political parties in the district to the meeting. Corporation officials said they were hopeful of reaching a consensus and deciding on further steps after the meeting.The Kalluthankadavu market complex, on the outskirts of the city, has been built on a 5.5-acre plot under the public-private partnership model by the Kalluthankadavu Area Development Company (KADCO) at a cost of around ₹100 crore. Spread over 3.5 lakh sq. ft., the complex is among the largest markets of its kind in the State and can accommodate more than 300 shops.The first floor of the complex, divided into six blocks, has direct access from the Meenchanda-Arayidathupalam bypass road. Autorickshaws and goods vehicles can reach the upper floors through ramps.Around 150 licensed traders currently operate from the Corporation-owned building at the Palayam market. According to Corporation officials, the plan is to relocate all the licensed traders to Kalluthankadavu. Once the relocation is completed, KADCO, which constructed the complex, will be permitted to rent out the remaining rooms.The Corporation is also facing concerns over the structural safety of old structures at the existing Palayam market. Published - August 29, 2026 08:50 pm IST