The redevelopment of Ernakulam Market under a ₹100-crore project will see a new modern multi-storied complex, replete with multi-level parking and a skywalk connecting it with Marine Drive, replacing the existing wholesale and retail market which houses over 225 stalls most of which are in a rundown condition.

The proposed complex will have space to host more number of stalls than the existing ones. Ground and first floors would house vegetable/fruits and meat/fish market, while the open space that would be available on the second and third floors could be partitioned and used as godown or office space, said sources in Cochin Smart Mission Limited (CSML), which would implement the project. CSML had fixed ₹70 crore as the estimated cost of the project, official sources said.

Temporary stalls

For now, work is under way to construct temporary stalls with roofing sheet in another 75 days, in order to temporarily shift stalls selling vegetables and fruits to a 1.25-acre land, about 100 metres away from the existing market. Stalls selling meat and fish would be temporarily shifted to another place close by. The temporary stalls will be erected for ₹4.98 crore, by MaryMatha Infrastructure Private Limited. There would also be a loading and unloading area on the premises.

The proposed complex will come up where the market stood, on land owned by the Kochi Corporation. The temporary relocation could have been done earlier, but for a legal battle regarding the 1.25 acre land.

Long-pending project

The proposal to have a new complex to house the Ernakulam Market dates back to the 1980s. The hugely-delayed project picked pace when CSML came into the picture, to provide funds and to implement the project. The proposed complex, which would come up in two years, will have its own sewage treatment plant, while waste generated from the market will be sent in compactor lorries to the corporation’s waste-treatment plant at Brahmapuram. The tidying of the canal close by the market has been included in the rejuvenation project covering once-navigable waterways of the city, that KMRL would implement, the sources said. “Redevelopment of Ernakulam Market under the Smart Cities Mission will see the more-than-a-century-old market in the heart of the city get a facelift,” said Jafar Malik, the new CEO of CSML.

The general secretary of Ernakulam Market Stall Owners’ Association, Shameed N.H., said that merchants would shortly approach the Kochi Corporation to fix a rent for the temporary premises. “Much of the existing wholesale market is very old and in dilapidated condition. The new complex will streamline the market’s functioning and also ensure cleanliness. This will ultimately give a new identity to the market,” he said.

Even as the market redevelopment work is set to begin, beautification of the adjacent Broadway Market is pending.