The Statesman 08.05.2013
KMC offers 12% extra space incentive in College St Market to unwilling stall owners
KOLKATA, 8 MAY: As many as 58 stall owners of College Street Market, who were reluctant to shift to the first and second floors of the market, were today offered 12 per cent extra space free of cost by the Kolkata Municipal Corporation (KMC).
Member, mayor-in-council (market) Tarak Singh today arrived at this decision after a meeting with the representatives of the Bengal Shelter Housing Development Ltd and stall owners. Municipal Commissioner Mr Khalil Ahmed, joint municipal commissioner, director general of market and senior superintending engineers were also present at the meeting.
The stall owners could not be accommodated on the ground floor as the total carpet area went down after the market was constructed.
Out of a total of 968 stall owners on ground floor, 110 were rehabilitated in block A of the complex. The remaining 800 could be rehabilitated on the ground floor.
Mr Singh had asked the representative of the Bengal Shelter to hold a meeting with the stall owners to resolve the long-standing problem, which would lead to a solution if the unwilling stall owners, accepting the proposal, agree to shift to the first and second floors of the market.
Shop owners who had refused to move to the first floor are fruit, fish and vegetable sellers. They had refused to move anticipating loss. The total carpet area of the market was around 15,000 square meter before construction of the building.
The trouble rehabilitating all shop owners on the ground floor began after the carpet area went down to 9,000 square meter after the construction of the building.
The construction of the market began in 2007 and was supposed to have been completed within 18 months. Earlier, shopkeepers had rejected the rehabilitation package pointing out several discrepancies between the draft relocation plans and the actual ones.
It may be recalled that the State Bank of India had taken legal possession of the market after Bengal Shelter failed to repay the loan and failed to complete the project on time.
The shopkeepers said if steps to distribute the stalls do not take place now they will suffer during monsoon as the Marquis Square gets flooded during the rainy season.
Markets are yet to be completed though construction of both began over a decade ago. The stall owners of these two markets alleged that their suffering has intensified because of the lackadaisical attitude of the civic authorities.
