NMC removes Khamla market, hawking zone to sell land for commercial complex

Nagpur: The Nagpur Municipal Corporation (NMC) on Friday demolished one of the largest South-West Nagpur’s vegetable, chicken, fish and mutton markets in Khamla to sell the land to pave way for a commercial complex under London/Orange City Street Project, which is pending for the last 15 years.
The vendors’ union has alleged that the civic body also removed vegetable stalls though the area along the road was notified as a hawking zone six years ago.
NMC’s Laxmi Nagar zone had on Thursday issued notices to all vegetable, chicken, fish and mutton shop owners directing them to remove their set up within 24 hours. Fearing loss and action, the vendors removed their set ups and material through the night and early morning.
IN the morning, a large number of NMC officials and workers accompanied by police personnel and machineries reached the area and started demolishing remaining temporary structures. By evening, entire market where hundreds of people used to buy eggs, chicken, fish, mutton etc was removed.
The NMC also removed vegetable and fruit stalls that were operating on two roads along the land earmarked for the project. The ‘eviction drive’ led to serious inconvenience to hundreds of people from South-West Nagpur.
An NMC officials told TOI, “The land where chicken, fish and mutton stalls used to operate from all these years is plot no. 5 of the project. Expression of interest (EoI) has been floated for giving the land for building a commercial complex of 2 lakh sq.ft area. We are expecting around Rs110 crore revenue from it as this property is situated on one of the prime locations of the project.”
However, as there was no response to the EoI in the prescribed period, the NMC is now planning to float the EoI again with some changes.
Metro Mall project is being developed on plot no. 1 adjacent to Jaiprakash Nagar metro station. The civic body is yet to prepare plan and float EoI for plot nos. 2, 3 and 4. Also, the civic body is sitting pretty on the project for the last 15 years. In the meanwhile, garbage operator AG Enviro Infra Projects Pvt Ltd, scrap dealers and a few contractors have reportedly encroached two large parts of the project land.
A resident of Khamla Anjali Ahuja condemned the drive. “A market is required in every locality. Khamla market was the only one serving several areas of South-West Nagpur. The NMC should have identified alternative place first to shift the market before initiating the action. Now, we will have to travel far off for getting fruits, vegetable and other items,” she said.
“The NMC failed to develop markets, yet demolished the existing one which was set up by vendors and people. Instead of removing it, the NMC should have provided parking facilities and other basic amenities at such places,” she said.
Immediately after receipt of the notices a day ago, Nagpur Feriwala Footpath Dukandar Sanghatana members met and submitted a memorandum to municipal commissioner Radhakrishnan B requesting him not to destroy the vegetable stalls along the road. “The NMC has notified the stretch along the road from Bazaar Chowk to nullah as hawking zones in December 2016 after it was cleared by town vending committee. The civic body’s action is a brazen violation of norms and injustice to us,” the union members said.
As soon as the vegetable and fruit stalls were removed, contractor engaged for concretizing road along the project started digging the ‘hawking zone’ area for laying stormwater drain.
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Who will feed us, asks 70-yr-old vendor forced to remove her 50-yr-old shop
“Who will feed me and my husband as no one is there to care for us,” asked 70-year-old Kamlabai Raut, a resident of Sonegaon, who was forced by the NMC to remove her 50-year-old temporary vegetable stall from the footpath along the Old Airport Road in Bazaar Chowk on Friday.
“I had been selling fresh vegetables for the last 50 years at the same spot. As I was not aware of the impending action, I bought vegetables from the market to sell early morning as usual. The stock got ruined causing huge loss to me,” said Raut with tears in her eyes.
Popular for selling flat beans and tur beans in the market, Raut said, “We were earning our daily bread by selling vegetables. We have not received anything from the government nor any support. At least, the authorities should not snatch our bread.”
Kamlabai’s husband also used to assist her at the stall. Whenever called, he works on daily wage to cut weed in gardens in Sonegaon.
Former corporator Prakash Totwani said over 100 vegetable and fruit vendors will not have any other source of income to run their families if they are not allowed to have their small stalls at the same place. “Fish, chicken and mutton shops had come up on the project land, but these poor vegetable vendors had established their shops along the road without obstructing traffic that too for the last 50 years. They should not be disturbed,” he said.