Once a bustling wholesale market, Chennai’s Koyambedu is now a deserted Covid hotspot

The govt had shut down Koyambedu market earlier in May after scores of Covid cases were traced to it, & opened a temporary market elsewhere.

A policeman is stationed at a watch tower in Thirumazhisai market to enforce social distancing and ensure people wear their masks | Manisha Mondal | ThePrint

Chennai: One of Asia’s largest markets for perishable goods, the Koyambedu Wholesale Market Complex in Chennai was shut when it became a Covid-19 hotspot, but its replacement, a temporary market on the outskirts of the city, shows no signs of the original’s life and buzz.

The Koyambedu market was designated a Covid hotspot after many vendors and labourers tested positive for coronavirus. The government had shut the market earlier this month and opened a temporary market in Thirumazhisai, in the Thiruvallur district.

The Komaybedu market is usually home to a number of labourers from the unorganised sector who have been staying inside the market for two decades. But right now, it is completely deserted. The rush and bustle it used to witness on a daily basis is missing from the temporary market, as only a few wholesalers have been allowed to open their shops in the Thirumazhisai space.

ThePrint’s photojournalist Manisha Mondal brings the scene from both markets.

A worker sits in front of a shuttered shop in Koyambedu market | Manisha Mondal | ThePrint

A labourer carries goods at the crack of dawn | Manisha Mondal | ThePrint

A man walks across an empty Koyambedu market. The market is usually so crowded that it’s inevitable you’ll bump into someone every few feet | Manisha Mondal | ThePrint

A woman sells her wares on a pavement. Access to the Thirumazhisai market is limited since sellers need a pass | Manisha Mondal | ThePrint

A man wipes his face as he walks along the empty lanes of Koyambedu market | Manisha Mondal | ThePrint

A man sells coconut at the temporary market | Manisha Mondal | ThePrint

Clothes hang on a line inside a shut shop in Koyambedu | Manisha Mondal | ThePrint

A truck full of vegetables leaves the Thirumazhisai market | Manisha Mondal | ThePrint

A dog sleeps on a cart as a worker sits on a pavement in Koyambedu market | Manisha Mondal | ThePrint

A man sleeps on vegetables carts in the temporary market | Manisha Mondal | ThePrint

A vendor sits on his empty cart that once earned him a living | Manisha Mondal | ThePrint