Seven-storey spacious markets await you in Mumbai

BMC offers relief to Kandivli, Bandra, Santacruz, Chembur, Ghatkopar, Vikhroli locals

A seven-storey building, with toilets, parking facilities, lifts, ventilation and shopping stalls – thinking mall? Soon, this description will apply to the municipal market where you shop every week.

The current Gopi Tank market. (HT)

The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) plans to throw open its six refurbished markets – Kandivli, Bandra (West), Santacruz (East), Chembur, Ghatkopar (West) and Vikhroli (West) – to vendors and buyers from December to June 2019.

Private developers have revamped the six markets, based on the previous policy of the civic body that offered a floor space index (FSI) of 4 for construction. FSI is the ratio of the total built-up area to the size of the plot. It indicates how high a builder can construct a building.

The city has 93 markets, of which 35 will or are undergoing redevelopment. Of the 35, 19 are being developed by private builders under the previous policy. Under the new policy, the BMC will develop 16 markets, four of which will get traditional design. Six new markets have been reserved in the Development Plan 2034.

The civic body came up with the plan to redevelop its own markets in 2016, as despite incentives such as additional FSI to house project-affected and godowns, a majority of developers could not start the work in time. The BMC recently issued work orders for five markets – Shirodkar Market at Parel, Bandra West Market, Topiwala Market at Goregaon, Crawford Market and Babu Genu Market at Mazgaon – in dilapidated condition. The work is expected to start by December.

Godfrey Pimenta, trustee of Watchdog foundation, said, “Earlier, when the civic body allowed developers to develop the market, they were not doing a proper job. Often, a developer demolishes a market and stops the work midway. This hits vendors. The BMC’s plan is welcome. They have the money to hire a good contractor and develop all markets.”