Kolkata’s Joka-Esplanade Metro project has cleared a key local hurdle after about 100 of the 416 stall owners at Dr BC Roy Market shifted their wares to a newly built market, although traders have sought clarity on maintenance and drinking water before completing the move.
The traders began operations at the new BC Roy Market on Thursday and also inaugurated the 72-year-old Durga Puja at the new premises. The puja had previously been held at the old market, which stands next to the new structure.
Vacating the old market building is necessary for construction of the Esplanade station on the Joka-Esplanade Metro corridor, also known as the Purple Line. Once the structure is cleared, sources said Rail Vikas Nigam Ltd (RVNL) will demolish it and begin station construction.
Kishore Manglani, secretary of the stall owners’ association, said around 75% of the wares from the old market had already been moved to the stalls earmarked for traders in the new facility. He said all stall owners were prepared to shift, but decisions on the management of the new market remained pending.
“RVNL and PWD has cooperated with us. They have worked very hard to fulfil their promises. But please understand that before moving, we need to have clarity on some key issues,” Manglani said.
He identified maintenance responsibility and drinking water as the main unresolved concerns. The Public Works Department had been the custodian of the old market building, while RVNL constructed the new market. Traders have not yet been told clearly which authority will handle maintenance-related complaints at the new premises.
The relocation is linked to the next construction phase of a metro corridor that remains only partly operational. At present, 7.7 km between Joka and Majerhat is in service. The Purple Line is planned to connect with Kolkata’s North-South, or Blue, Line and East-West, or Green, Line, creating interchanges with the city’s existing metro network.
Subal Pradhan, owner of Surajit Sports, said he had shifted both his stores to the new market and was ready to begin working there. Other traders also indicated that more stalls could be moved in the coming days.
The shift follows an earlier understanding that traders would relocate after the inauguration of Durga Puja at the new premises on Panchami. The market’s religious and commercial activities have therefore become part of the transition from the old site to the facility built to accommodate the affected stall owners.
A senior PWD official said the progress was positive and referred to the traders’ earlier commitment to move by Panchami. The remaining relocation and the formal evacuation of the old structure will determine when RVNL can take up demolition and begin work on the Esplanade station site.
