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Bengal

KMC to rehabilitate 300 stall owners at College Street

The Kolkata Municipal Corporation (KMC) will rehabilitate 300 stall owners at block B of Barnaparichay at College Street here on Friday.

Mayor Sovan Chatterjee will be present at the function. At block B, most of the stalls will be occupied by vegetable vendors, fish and chicken sellers and fruit merchants. 

The work is on in full swing to complete the construction of block C where 133 shopkeepers will be rehabilitated. 

It may be recalled that Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee had instructed Chatterjee to resolve the stalemate at Barnaparichay. Also the TMC controlled civic board had  rehabilitated 900 shop owners in phases between 2010 and 2015. 

The erstwhile Left Front government had planned to develop the century old College Street market and the housing department and Bengal Shelter had entered into a contract to promote the market on the public private partnership (PPP) model. The agreement was signed in 2007 and it was decided that the new market would come up within 18 months. The estimated cost of the project was Rs 100 crore. The civic authorities asked the shop owners to move to Marques Square. 

However, the delay caused enormous financial loss to shop owners. The Left Front controlled civic board did not pressurise  the owner  firm as its owner was close to the then Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee and  the then Mayor Bikas Ranjan Bhattacharya. The hapless shopkeepers ran from pillar to post and  had finally launched movements urging the KMC to complete the project on time.

After the TMC board came to power, steps were taken to complete block 1 and around 900 stall owners were rehabilitated in phases. Amirudin, member of mayor in council (market) said that work was going on in war footing and before the 2016 pujas, the entire market would be completed. 
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