BHUBANESWAR: The Bhubaneswar Municipal Corporation’s (BMC) ambitious plan to construct the Unit I market is moving at a snail’s pace with the expression of interest (EoI) invited by the corporation yet to receive any response.BMC had invited the EoI in the beginning of the month and the last date for receiving applications is May 31. The EoI invites a consultancy for preparing a plan for the the Unit I market, the cost of project and the workforce required. It is only after a concrete plan is prepared, the construction of the project can get a green signal. The new market would come up behind the present Unit I market over an area of 2.995 acres provided by the General Administration (GA) Department. “There are a few houses that we have to demolish before the work starts. We do not see any problem related to land,” said a senior BMC official.The new market complex was supposed to have a basement, ground and three floors. But after BMC and GA officials discussed the initial plan, it was decided that another floor should be added in the basement. The initial estimate puts the total number of shops at 2,192 and the project cost approximately at ` 73 crore. The new market building will have facilities like parking space, fish and meat market and passenger lift.The construction plan is not without hassles with another status quo order from the High Court (HC). “Recently another stay order was issued by the HC due to which we are unable to go ahead with the survey of the market,” informed BMC deputy commissioner KP Pati.There are around 1,053 vendors who have been given permit by the BMC and an additional 263 are daily vendors.There are numerous illegal encroachers inside the market who are demanding a place in the new market building. The survey is necessary to make an estimate of the number of vendors to be provided with the new space.But the BMC officials are doubtful that all the vendors can be allotted space in the newly constructed market.
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