KMC to rebuild Park Circus Market, survey likely to be over in June

The Park Circus Market, a huge chunk of which crumbled last July injuring a 56-year-old stall owner, is set to be pulled down to make way for the construction of a new one.

The Kolkata Municipal Corporation (KMC) will soon finish a detailed survey report of the dilapidated market.

“The survey is essential to have a clear idea of the mapping of the area, the actual number of stalls and each of their measurements so that a Detailed Project Report (DPR) can be prepared for the new one. Considering its condition, we have decided that the existing market will be pulled down and a new one will be constructed in its place. We expect that the survey will be over by the first week of June,” a senior official of KMC’s Market department said.

Amiruddin (Bobby), Member-Mayor-in-Council of the Market department said that KMC will construct the market on its own and “no PPP mode will be adopted”.“We have identified an area in the Park Circus Park where we will be temporarily shifting the market. The majority of the vendors have agreed to move, paving the way for demolition of the market and constructing it afresh,” added Bobby.

“The Building department will draw up the plan for rehabilitation of the stall owners after we provide them with the results of the survey that includes the size of the stalls in the existing market,” he said. The area should be allocated in such a way that the different religious events hosted on the grounds during the year are not disrupted, he informed.

According to sources in the Market department, there are around 400-odd stall owners and nearly 150 squatter vendors in the existing market.