Kundura: At Pradhaniguda (Hataguda), about 75 metres from Lima panchayat and 10-km from Kundura Sadar block in Koraput district, there had been a weekly market founded by the erstwhile Jeypore Maharaj Vikram Deb about a century ago.
For five years now, the market has been lying defunct, leaving the locals residents who used to earn their livelihood from selling one thing or the other at this market penniless. Now, many of them have left their ancestral landed property and families to work at brick kilns in Andhra Pradesh.
Locals have ascribed bad road condition to the market’s present condition.
Once, this market used to provide a means of earning to thousands of people. According to local people, King Vikram Deb made it a point that the weekly market was held Thursdays, the day of Goddess Lakshmi. At the entrance, he also got a temple built where Budhi Thakurani is being worshipped.
In comparison to other areas in Koraput district, paddy, black gram, horse gram, green gram, corn, potatoes and many other vegetables used to be harvested abundantly in this area. This was the reason why the king had chosen this place as a suitable one for the weekly market a hundred years ago. Since its inception, the market used to be the most favourite market for vegetable growers and farmers of Kotpad, Borigumma, Jeypore and Boipariguda.
Apart from being a place for seasonal vegetables, fruits, pulses, oil seeds and other farm produce, the market was also a hub for agricultural equipment.
When asked why the market has lost its glory, locals are unanimous in saying that from the day miscreants looted ornaments and other valuables from the temple, the crowds at the market started getting thinner.
The area comes under Nabarangpur parliamentary constituency and Kotpad assembly segment. Leaders of almost all the political parties have ruled here. Yet, they have never thought of reviving this weekly market, once earned a moniker as lifeline of local people.
Since the 2014 panchayat election was cancelled here, the administration has been adopting a step-motherly attitude towards it, alleged Antaryami Bisoi, Badri Narayan Acharya and Khageswar Sahoo of Lima village.
Since four-wheelers have stopped taking this road because of its bad condition, people have gradually stopped visiting this market.
Even as people here are happy over the tender being floated for the road three months ago, they feel sad for the market.
PNN