Vadodara: The shopkeepers operating from the Ratribazaar of the Vadodara Municipal Corporation (VMC) went on an overdrive to clean the premises after the civic body cracked its whip on them. Besides razing illegally erected shades at the food market that operates overnight, the VMC had also severed water and power connections there on Thursday. The VMC had decided to take action against those operating food outlets from Ratribazaar in wake of the rampant encroachments and unhygienic conditions there. It had also come to light that spaces there had been sublet by those who took shops on lease from VMC. After the action, the shopkeepers who have been allotted outlets on lease had made a series of pleas to the civic body asking it to allow them to resume operations.

The VMC asked the Madhya Gujarat Vij Company Ltd to restore power connection there on Friday and also resumed water supply. VMC commissioner Dr Vinod Rao visited the market again late on Friday evening to take stock of the situation there. “We have asked them to clean up the entire premises and will allow only persons, who were allotted the shops to begin operations after reviewing the situation on Saturday,” he said.