Bhubaneswar, Sept.12: Three of the oldest market complexes located in the heart of the city are crumbling as those responsible for repairs and maintenance look the other way.
The Bhubaneswar Development Authority (BDA) built the three complexes - Kalyan Market, Indra Dhanu Market and Ashoka Market - about two to three decades ago. All three buildings have developed cracks at many places, posing a threat to both shopkeepers and customers. The crumbling structures are prone to collapsing in a pile of bricks in the event of an earthquake or even heavy rain. In the absence of proper sanitation measures, the buildings are highly unclean.
A snack shop owner at Kalyan Market, Suryakant Swain said the complex had 92 kiosks and more than 118 pindis or small kiosks. "Over time the pillars of the building have become narrow at the bottom due to erosion. Plasters from the ceilings also keep falling often. In such a scenario, this building could crumble anytime," said Swain. He said the shop owners as well as the customers were putting their lives at risk every day.
Kalyan Market occupies one of the city's prime locations at Unit VIII. When it comes to cleanliness, it's one of the worst. Incidentally, Unit VIII falls in the ward of mayor Ananta Narayan Jena.
"The administration has divided the building into two parts - one was sold to Gridco and the other to us. But Gridco officials use the parking lot and this has become a problem for us as well as the shoppers. We don't find place to park," said Narayan Mohanty, a garment shop owner here.
Customers and shopkeepers at Indra Dhanu Market face similar problems. The complex is also located in a strategic location of the city at CRP Square in Nayapalli, adjacent to National Highway-5. This three-storey structure has more than 180 shops visited by nearly 2,000 shoppers every day.
"This is one of the oldest market complexes in the city. This building has not been repaired for decades. You can see cracks at many places and cleanliness is a joke. There is no co-ordination between the shop owners, which adds to the woes as no one cares to come forward and intimate the problems to the BDA," said local resident Shyamli Mohanty, a frequent visitor to the market complex.
A senior BDA official said they had sold the properties at Kalyan Market and Indra Dhanu Market, and it was now the duty of the owners to maintain and repair the buildings. "It is the duty of the shop owners to form an association and maintain their shops. There is lack of co-operation between them that has led to the sorry condition of the buildings," said the official.
Suryakant Swain, shop owner at Kalyani Market, told The Telegraph: "We are faced with a number of problems, which includes formation an association. The association could help maintain the building as well as inform the authorities about the problems. Many owners here have rented their shops to tenants. The tenants do not stay for long, which is why the formation of an association has become difficult," said Swain.
Shopkeeper Jayant Barik, who sells mobile phones at Indra Dhanu Market, echoes Swain. Barik said the shop owners had rented out their properties and there was no co-ordination between the new tenants as they came and went away frequently. Although the BDA has washed its hands of both the Kalyani and Indra Dhanu markets, Barik said: "An association could help us intimate our problems to the development authority, but in the present scenario, it has become an impossible dream."
Ashoka Market is considered the oldest market complex in the city. This market is under the administrative control of the development authority and the property here has been rented out to tenants. According to the development authority, the building should be demolished, as it is now more than 30 years old and not in a condition to be repaired. The four-storey complex has nearly 150 shops.
The complex is situated in the heart of the city at Master Canteen where the BDA plans to develop the BDA City Centre. This project includes revamping the Bhubaneswar Railway Station nearby, building parks and a two-tower shopping complex. According to sources, the detailed project report for the City Centre is ready and the tender for the project will be floated in the next one or two months. The project will be executed in a phased manner, they added.
BDA officials said they were in talks with the shop owners for the demolition of Ashoka Market. "We are going to develop two market towers in Master Canteen and plan to demolish Ashoka Market. The owners will be rehabilitated," said the official.
