No market in S-W Nagpur, but NMC selling vacant land to make money

Nagpur: In the name of London/Orange City Street Project, Nagpur Municipal Corporation (NMC) is selling vacant public property to make money, even though it has not developed any market for vegetables, fruits, meat etc in entire South-West Nagpur constituency of around 5 lakh population. The civic body overlooked setting up a market though it is mandatory as per rules in force since last 71 years.
Section 63 of The Maharashtra Municipal Corporations (MMC) Act says NMC has to provide 25 services. “It shall be incumbent on the corporation to make reasonable and adequate provision by any means or measures, which it is lawfully competent to use or to take for each of the 25 matters,” states the Act.
Among the 25 services, the construction or acquisition and maintenance of public markets and slaughter houses, and the regulation of all markets and slaughter houses is mandatory for the civic body. Unfortunately, the civic body has overlooked development of any market in South-West constituency, where residents pay maybe the highest property tax in the city.
The proposed London/Orange City Street project land, on the stretch between Wardha Road and Rajendra Nagar in South-West constituency, is the largest available vacant space with NMC for commercial purpose. But NMC did not develop a market. Instead, the civic body demolished an unauthorized market to vacate part of the project, to sell it at for Rs110 crore at Khamla. Hundreds of people from various parts of this constituency were dependent on this market.
Condemning NMC’s action, former Congress corporator Praful Gudadhe said, “NMC has forgotten its moral responsibility. It is violating norms and engaged in commercial exploitation of public property. It is NMC’s obligation to provide market in each residential locality but this was never done in South-West constituency. NMC should develop markets as per requirements and take care of all needs.”
Gudadhe added NMC also violated the constitutional rights of vendors and the law by removing Khamla market. “NMC should set up town vending committee, undertake census of vendors, issue I-cards, declare hawking zones, rehabilitate existing markets in a proper place, and then act against unauthorized markets or vendors. All people are not capable of buying things in malls, which NMC is planning in the project,” he said.
Former corporator and BJP South-West Nagpur president Kishor Wankhede did not comment on removal of Khamla market but said NMC has prepared plan to establish state-of-the-art market on part of the project land. “The project is being developed in phased manner and market will also come up,” he said.
Activist Narayan Ahuja said, “It would be convenient for people if NMC and NIT develop a mini-market of around seven shops on all public utility lands, where one can get daily needs on the lines of milk booths set up by government agencies. It will also prevent congestion in any area where market is situated, and caters to many localities.”