Days after cancelling the licence of a contractor on the charge of irregularities, the Manapparai Municipality has floated a tender for collecting user charges for the Manapparai cattle shandy, one of the largest livestock markets in the State.
The shandy, spread over about 10 acres, is held on Tuesdays. It attracts hundreds of farmers, who bring bulls, cows, sheep, and goat for sale from various districts, including Tiruchi, Pudukottai, Dindigul, Erode, Coimbatore, Madurai, Sivaganga, Theni, and others. Farmers from Karnataka and Kerala too participate. They pay entry fees to take part in the auction. They also charge vehicles carrying cattle.
According to sources, the civic body had awarded the licence to M. Chandrasekar of Manjampatti for collecting user fees for 2026-2027. However, it was alleged that the contractor collected exorbitant fees from farmers and others for buying and selling cattle. Aggrieved farmers took up the issue with Collector Pratik Tayal. Based on petitions submitted by farmers at the monthly grievance meeting, the municipal officials carried out a field inspection recently and found that the allegation collection of excess fee from the users was true. Following this, the Municipal Commissioner issued an order cancelling the licence awarded to Mr. Chandrasekar. The municipal authorities will directly collect user charges until the appointment of a new contractor. To appoint a new contractor, the Municipality has called for a tender.
Scrutiny of the tender documents will be carried out subsequently. After the mandatory process of checking eligibility and other criteria, a new contract would be awarded for collecting user charges.
The move is aimed at protecting the interest of farmers, who come from far flung areas to buy or sell cattle.
Published - July 20, 2026 08:26 pm IST