Chamber Meets Minister, Demands Action on Jharkhand Mandis’ Neglect

The Jharkhand Chamber of Commerce has flagged serious shortcomings in the state’s agricultural markets, highlighting poor infrastructure, rising theft, and lack of basic amenities that affect both traders and consumers.

A delegation led by Chamber president Aditya Malhotra met Agriculture Minister Shilpi Neha Tirkey to press for urgent intervention. The group said repeated complaints to market committee officials had not yielded results, forcing escalation to the state government.

The Chamber pointed out that most mandis lack toilets, drinking water, storage facilities, and crowd management systems. Traders added that the absence of security personnel has led to thefts and snatching incidents, creating unsafe conditions for customers and merchants alike. Malhotra said, “Despite repeated complaints, no corrective action has been taken. Immediate intervention is needed.”

As a solution, the delegation proposed developing Pandara Mandi in Ranchi as a model market. This initiative aims to modernize facilities, improve security, and set a benchmark for other mandis across Jharkhand.

Minister Tirkey assured the delegation that action would follow. She promised to visit Pandara Mandi with Chamber officials and hold meetings with traders across the state to address these issues. “The government is committed to strengthening agricultural markets and will act on these concerns,” she said.

The delegation included vice president Praveen Lohia, Ram Bangad, general secretary Rohit Agarwal, joint secretary Navjot Alang, Rohit Poddar, treasurer Anil Agarwal, Ranchi Chamber president Sanjay Mahuri, wholesale potato and onion traders’ association president Madan Sahu, member Ganesh Agarwal, and several Pandara Mandi traders.