The iconic but allegedly illegal Maidan market, which sells all things sports, stands in the way of the Esplanade Metro station in the Purple Line.
Traders who have been in business for years have vowed not to move unless they are legitimised. The Indian Army, which owns Maidan, has refused to do so.
The Purple Line is meant to connect Joka with the heart of Calcutta. It promises to transform what is still a dreaded commute for many. The corridor has been plagued by land logjams that have already pushed it back several years.
Not a brick has been laid at the proposed Esplanade station.
“Construction of the Esplanade station on the Joka-Esplanade corridor was supposed to start in 2023, but we have not been able to start any work yet. Construction will take around four years,” said an official of Rail Vikas Nigam Limited (RVNL), the railway agency implementing the project.
Dr Bidhan Chandra Roy Market, the site of the proposed station, has 528 traders. Unless they shift to a temporary shelter, the construction of the station cannot begin. The negotiations with the traders are on, but the stalemate continues, said railway officials.
A temporary market north of Manohar Das Tarag, ready to relocate the displaced traders, remains empty. The traders will be brought back to the original site when the station is complete. The station will have space for the market, according to railway officials.
The market, whose custodian is the PWD, stands on land owned by the army. It was set up in the early 1950s. Many of the shops have since changed hands several times. These changes were never updated in government records.
A section of the current traders are descendants of the original licensees. But some traders are not related to the original licensees, said sources in the administration. The Army considers the market “illegal”.
In the past two years, several meetings have taken place with trader representatives and officials from the PWD, the defence ministry and the railways.
“In December 2025, a meeting of the RVNL, the army, the PWD and the traders failed to break the deadlock. In January 2026, the matter was referred back to the defence ministry. In March, a clarification came. The defence ministry allowed the relocation and return but refused to legitimise the current possessions,” he said.
The change of regime in Bengal has rekindled hopes of resolving long-pending Metro hurdles. Construction at Chingrighata resumed last month after an 18-month halt, and railway officials now expect the double-engine government to help break the Esplanade deadlock as well.
“The railway minister has discussed the matter with the chief minister. The Project Monitoring Group (PMG), which functions under the Prime Minister’s office and works for expeditious resolution of regulatory bottlenecks in projects with investments of ₹500 crores and above, is also apprised of the impasse,” said an official of Metro Railway.
Sources in the state government said the traders were demanding tenancy rights, but the PWD lacks the authority to give them tenant status. “The army owns the land. The army’s original vision was that this land should be vacated. The lease term has ended. The army has taken a sympathetic view of the matter and agreed to let the traders conduct their business there,” said the state government official.
“It is not possible to give the new shop occupiers tenancy rights. We told them to maintain the status quo. We have numbered the stalls in the old market and in the temporary market, where the traders have to shift. The traders will be shifted according to their shop number. When Metro construction is complete and a new permanent market building is built, the traders will be brought back in line with their shop numbers. This will be a transparent process,” said the official.
The general secretary of the Dr BC Roy Market Stall Holders’ Association, Kishore Manglani, said he represented not 528 but 458 traders.
“We want a written assurance that the ownership of the business will be formalised in the names of the traders currently running it. Otherwise, how will they be shifted and brought back? We are not against the Metro project, but we are concerned about the future of so many people dependent on the market,” he said.
“We also have doubts about the infrastructure of the temporary shelter. BC Roy Market has nine gates. The temporary shelter has only a couple of gates. There is an access problem. What about the trader who will be placed farthest from a gate? The electrical infrastructure is also not up to the mark,” he said.
A Metro spokesperson said he had “no update” on when construction will start.
Army officials declined to comment on the stalemate. A source in Eastern Command said Maidan was a Blue Zone, meaning there is no permission for any permanent construction there.
“How can any market be regularised there? For the Metro construction, the railways obtained the necessary clearance from the defence ministry,” said the source.
The Esplanade station was proposed as a terminal station for the Purple Line. It will also offer an interchange with the north-south (Blue Line) and East-West (Green Line) corridors.
The Purple Line is now functional on an 8km elevated stretch between Joka and Majerhat. The next stop, Mominpore, will be the last elevated station. The four upcoming underground stations of the corridor are Kidderpore, Victoria, Park Street and Esplanade.
The Railway Board has sanctioned a 1.5km extension from Joka to IIM Calcutta. A no-objection certificate is awaited from the Union ministry of road transport and highways for construction to begin.