Delhi’s agricultural markets will receive new roads, storage sheds, drainage repairs and a vehicle-weighing system under four infrastructure projects announced by Chief Minister Rekha Gupta across Azadpur, Keshopur and Narela. The works are intended to improve operating conditions for farmers, traders and workers in some of the capital’s largest wholesale market complexes.
Gupta laid the foundation stones for the projects on Friday. At Keshopur Fruit and Vegetable Market, internal roads that are more than 20 years old will be reconstructed at a cost of Rs 9.5 crore. The road work addresses a basic infrastructure gap inside a market where movement of agricultural produce depends on internal access routes for vehicles, traders and workers.
At Narela’s New Grain Market, two temporary sheds will be built across the 33-acre market area. The covered spaces are intended to provide storage and protect grain from rain and other adverse weather conditions. The project is among the works announced for markets that handle agricultural commodities and require infrastructure capable of supporting loading, unloading and temporary storage.
In Azadpur New Vegetable Market, sewerage and drainage infrastructure in Blocks B and C will be repaired. The Delhi government said the work would address damaged and clogged pipelines, leakage and waterlogging. Drainage failures in wholesale markets can affect the movement and handling of perishable produce, as well as working conditions for people operating within the market premises.
A slow-speed weigh-in-motion system will also be installed at the entry and exit gates of Azadpur Fruit and Vegetable Market. The system will allow commercial vehicles to be weighed without requiring them to come to a complete halt. The project is designed to streamline vehicle processing at the market gates while adding a technology-based system to an important produce distribution hub.
Gupta said the government wanted to move beyond repairs and cosmetic changes and create infrastructure capable of meeting the needs of the “next 100 years”. She also said that further work was planned on roads, drainage, waste disposal, lighting, healthcare facilities, security systems and technology upgrades across Delhi’s agricultural markets.
The announcement places agricultural markets within a wider municipal infrastructure programme rather than treating them only as trading locations. These complexes combine freight movement, storage, sanitation, public health and commercial activity, making the condition of their internal infrastructure important to the functioning of the city’s food supply chain.
Development Minister Kapil Mishra said infrastructure gaps had persisted in several markets for years, with some areas lacking proper roads and sewerage facilities for decades. The government also said consultants had been appointed for the development of Tikri Khampur Fruit and Vegetable Market, while long-term plans were being prepared for Azadpur, Ghazipur, Narela and Keshopur markets. Those plans will determine the next phase of upgrades beyond the four projects announced on Friday.
