Bhikangaon (Madhya Pradesh): The Bhikangaon krishi upaj mandi is still awaiting expansion despite generating crores of rupees in revenue. The demand for shifting the cotton market has also remained buried in papers, with no progress seen on the ground over the past two decades. A proposal to allocate 25 acres of land from the 104-acre agricultural field for the cotton market has been stuck between the collector's office and the agriculture department for the last 20 years.

Regular heavy transportation has caused frequent traffic congestion on Mandi Road, creating inconvenience for citizens, as government hospitals, schools and banks are situated on this road. On August 15, 2004, the then chairman of the mandi, Durga Singh Rawat, passed a resolution in the mandi committee, stating that 25 acres out of 102 acres of unused government land, should be allocated to the mandi for the cotton mandi. The proposal was later sent to the then agriculture minister Gopal Bhargava and the land was inspected, but no further action was taken.

Agriculture minister Bhargava wrote a letter to the department on October 25, 2004 and joint director of the mandi board K K Mishra sought detailed information from the mandi committee on December 22, 2004, but later the issue was left unaddressed. In 2018, the land in Saikheda was considered and a settlement proposal from the panchayat was prepared, but once again, the work remained on paper and no progress was seen on the ground.

Shyam Singh Pawar, Yuva Vahini coordinator of Kisan Sangh, Malwa province, said that as the market flow increases with time, it has forced the farmers to wait for 2 to 3 days during peak season due to the lack of space in the market. Therefore, the cotton market should be separated. Farmer Mukesh Chouhan said that the market becomes overcrowded during the season, causing significant problems, therefore the cotton market needs to be shifted. Mandi secretary Rachna Tikkekar said that senior officials have been informed about the issue and action will be taken accordingly.