CA market in Salt Lake. A Telegraph picture

Bidhannagar Municipality has decided to turn six of the 14 block markets in Salt Lake into malls. If everything goes according to plan, the malls should open in three years.

The markets in EC, CA, BD, CK, AE and AB-AC blocks, leased to the urban development department, will be refurbished, said municipal officials. The markets came up more than two decades ago and are in a dilapidated state. The urban development department is reportedly keen to hand over the markets to the municipality.

“We expect to get the markets soon. The transfer was delayed by the financial year-end,” said Biswajiban Majumdar, the chairman of the municipality.“We hope to restructure the markets and develop them as shopping malls and commercial complexes,” stated a municipal official.

The municipality will try to involve private companies in the project by leasing them portions of the market or by forging partnerships with them. The civic body has discussed whether ownership of the markets will be economically viable.

According to a preliminary plan, the traders in the markets will be rehabilitated on the ground and first floors of the malls. The floors that will be added to the markets during redevelopment will be leased to private parties.“We have no problems if we are rehabilitated. But nothing has been decided yet,” said Tapan Ghosh, who owns a grocery shop in CK block.

“The municipality is planning to reserve some space in the markets for community gathering. This will be in addition to the block community centres. We also plan to set up a four-storey market in Karunamoyee. The same model will be followed there,” added the official.

The local residents are enthusiastic about malls being set up in their blocks. “We often struggle to buy everyday necessities near our houses. Doctors’ chambers and medicine shops that remain open 24x7 should be set up in the malls,” said Arunima Palchowdhury, a homemaker in BD block.