The Pioneer 13.09.2010
BMC-proposed market in Unit-1 raises eyebrowsSaroj Mishra | Bhubaneswar
The proposal of Bhubaneswar Municipal Corporation (BMC) to construct an air-conditioned market in Unit- 1 on Public – Private Partnership (PPP) Mode has raised many eyebrows.
Senior BJP leader and former chairman of Finance and Taxation Committee of BMC, Samir Mohanty, said in 1996 and 1997 the General Administration Department had given BMC 750 decimals of land near Kishore Club in Unit- 1 to rehabilitate the vendors, who sat outside on the roads. After 13 years, no construction has been undertaken or building constructed to rehabilitate them. But BMC is collecting licence fee from these vendors over the years. Meanwhile, a Children Park in the area has also been encroached.
Mohanty further added, if one goes to the market one can see the unhygienic atmosphere. BMC is unable to provide drainage and garbage disposal facilities till date. If the proposed market comes up, it will further deteriorate the infrastructure. The traffic which is at present chaotic will worsen further and the market will be a hazard. He alleged that construction of the AC market in PPP mode’s main motive is to make money and to grab prime real estate by the near and dear ones of the authorities.
Even though the shops will be allotted through a lottery, it will be ‘selective’ and no vendor will benefit. The 300 odd vendors, who were evicted from Saheed Nagar haat for a project on PPP mode are yet to be rehabilitated till now. They have encroached on another piece of valuable land in the area. From this it can be well imagined what will be the fate of the poor vendors who will be evicted, he said.
A local resident Chinmoy Mishra said lot of history is attached to the place. Earlier the haat was a meeting point for the city residents. The BMC wants to destroy history. Can you think of Connaught Circus which was built by the British, knocked down and multistoried buildings coming up there? Instead the authorities there are carrying out renovation and preserving the history for future generations.
