Vegetable vendors in Abu Dhabi's famous fish and vegetable market have evacuated their shops and moved downstairs next to the fish market to accommodate shopowners planning to move out of the capital's ancient souk which is about to be demolished.
Scores of vegetable and fruit shops that had occupied the upper floor of Abu Dhabi's sprawling fish and vegetable market were told last month to shift to ground floor shops cleared for them by some fish and meat traders.
The Abu Dhabi Municipality said it has served notices to those shops to complete the evacuation this month to make room for shops moving out of the old souk which will be demolished in November.
It will be replaced with a modern but traditional marketplace.
Except for a handful of shops upstairs, vegetable and fruit traders now occupy the lower western flank of the massive market, although the fish smell and noise of cleaning workers yelling for customers is pervasive.
Located near Hamdan Street in the heart of the capital, the modern two-storey fish and vegetable market was built nearly 10 years ago and hundreds of customers are attracted daily by its fresh products and cool facilities.
The market is in contrast to the nearby old souk and another vegetable marketplace near Mina Zayed as they lack air conditioning.
Large trucks flock daily to the market carrying fresh fish as well as vegetables and fruit produced locally and in other countries. "We have been told to move to designated shops downstairs because the souk's shops are coming here. They will occupy the first floor," a dealer said.
"The municipality rented out those shops to us. I think the move upstairs is temporary as another souk will be built in that place when the present one is demolished."
In notices last year, Abu Dhabi municipality told more than 800 shops in the old souk they will have to move out before November.
The souk which cuts across Hamdan and Khalifa Streets in the city centre was gutted in a massive fire early this year. Investigators say it was caused by a short circuit.
Nearly 87 shops were destroyed in the six-hour blaze and mountains of ash and burnt concrete and metal are still lying among the scorched shops pending the word to start demolition.
The souk was built in early 1960s, when there were only a handful of small buildings not exceeding five storeys. But it is dwarfed now by the high rise edifices that surround its small villas and kiosks dotting its narrow alleys.
It is less than 500 metres from the fish and vegetable market and shops moving into that market will sell clothes, toys, electronics and other consumer products.
Incense and perfume traders who have flavoured the old souk said only a handful of them will move into that market as many others have already shifted to another area.
"How can you sell such aromatic products in the fish market," said a trader. "When a customer wants to buy perfume, he usually smells it. Do you think he would be able to do it at the fish market?"
Gulf News
