Bhubaneswar, March 12: Unit-IV Market and those who frequent it can look forward to better times ahead.

Parking problems and worries of small traders who don’t have shops at the market will be resolved soon.

The Bhubaneswar Municipal Corporation (BMC) will build a public utility complex with shops and parking facilities near Unit-IV Market.

The new complex will be built on the land behind the fish market.

The municipal council approved its annual budget of Rs 473.36 crore for 2013-14 on February 27. This included an allocation of Rs 10 crore for neighbourhood markets. The civic body has asked architects to submit drawings as tenders will be floated in two months. The exact cost of the complex will be known after the plan is approved. The complex will be ready within two years from commencement of civil work.

“We are going to build the neighbourhood markets as we have land at various localities. The small markets will help residents get goods near their homes,” said municipal commissioner Sanjib Kumar Mishra.

Councillor of ward No. 35 Sashmita Nanda said the proposed complex at Unit-IV would be a market with adequate parking space.

“On August 31, 2011, the foundation stone was laid for the project, but it never materialised. I hope, this year the plan will be ready and the work will start after the approval from the municipal council,” she said.

Small traders selling non-vegetarian items such as egg, chicken, fish and mutton and some vendors selling vegetables, who have no shops inside Unit-IV Market, will find spots on the first floor of the utility complex.

The ground floor will be used as a parking lot.

Ashok Sahu, a resident of Unit-VI, who depends on the Unit-IV Market for his Sunday purchases, said: “On Wednesdays, Fridays and Sundays, when demand for meat and fish is highest, the road joining AG Colony with Sachivalaya Marg is congested with traffic and vendors. The new utility complex will help people once parking space is created.”

The civic authorities had earlier promised a separate market for non-vegetarian food vendors at Unit-IV Market, as it is the largest hub for mutton, fish and poultry products in the city.