Revamp of Landsdowne market: Mayor meets stakeholders to take stock of probs

kolkata: Mayor Firhad Hakim on Tuesday held a meeting with the stakeholders of the Landsdowne market in South Kolkata and took stock of the problems that needs to be ironed out before the Kolkata Municipal Corporation (KMC) takes up its modernisation work. Sandip Ranjan Bakshi who happens to be the local councilor and Member Mayor in Council (MMIC) of the Lighting department of KMC was present in the meeting.

"The Mayor assured the stakeholders in solving issues like electricity cost, shop rent, etc that were raised in the meeting. He informed the shop owners of the risk involved in continuing their business in such an old market as it may collapse due to years of no repair," Bakshi said.

However, a section of shopkeepers refused to join the meeting and agitated objecting to the modernisation proposal.

There are 331shops in the market but many of these will not come under the shift and rehabilitation model as the original owners of these stalls have died and there has been forcible or illegal occupying of that shop. There are also issues of difference of opinion among heirs of the original owner.

Lansdowne market falls in Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee's constituency Bhowanipore.

"We have to construct temporary sheds for the shopkeepers before beginning the modernisation work with the assurance that legal traders will be relocated," Bakshi added.

KMC has given 18 months to the developer to wrap up construction of a portion so that traders can move in before the rest is developed.

The civic body had inked a public private partnership (PPP) agreement with a private company for the redevelopment of the market.

According to plans, the eight storied building, to be built on a 2.5 bigha plot, would accommodate around 350 traders on the first two floors. The rest of the space will be leased out to traders who will set up stalls.