Nagpur: The Gokulpeth Market is the only place where one can purchase a variety of goods especially for those who are living in Dharampeth, Shankar Nagar, Gokulpeth, Giripeth, Civil-Lines, Ram Nagar, Hill Top, Ambazari areas.
The shops in Gokulpeth market include green-vegetables, grocery, hardware goods, vessels and utensils, idols (during Lord Ganpati festival), cheap cloth, tailoring goods, electrical and electronic goods, garages, meat, fish, chicken, milk products etc.
From organized to unorganized mess
However, over a period, this market has become a mess. Long-time back, the civic authorities had constructed cement platforms for these vegetable vendors. But these vegetable vendors did not occupy the cement platforms since very few customers bothered to come inside the market to purchase vegetables, fish etc. They felt that sitting on road side with their vegetables and goods gets sold faster since people can come riding on their two-wheelers and without bothering to park their vehicles, they can procure or buy the vegetables and go off.
Parking woes
With vegetable and fruit vendors occupying both sides of the road, the road gets tapered or very narrow making it very difficult for two-wheelers and four-wheelers to traverse on those lanes. Often the elite park their cars and SUVs in such a way that other four-wheelers cannot pass causing road jams. This happens almost every market days of Tuesdays and Fridays.
Plans to beautify and organize a better market
While speaking to Nagpur Today, Corporator of the area Parinay Fuke said that problems galore at Gokulpeth area especially with the vegetable vendors, fish and meat vendors. A gutter-line which was laid probably years ago gets choked often and dirty water flows out (almost every monsoon season) causing health hazards. After a lot of planning, it was Corporator Parinay Fuke who met Nagpur Divisional Commissioner Anoop Kumar, Nagpur Municipal Commissioner Shravan Hardikar and after reviewing the location, a plan was made to erect a multi-storied Parking Plaza on the south end and a seven-storied shopping complex in the remaining area.
According to Corporator Parinay Fuke, the existing shops and business establishments will be demolished only after the shopping complex is built. The equal amount of their existing shop and business establishment will be given free of cost. The remaining space if they want will have to be paid. The remaining shops and business-establishment in the shopping complex will be sold on lottery system. The traders and hawkers or vendors will be accommodated in this shopping complex.
Corporator Parinay Fuke said that when he proposed the Parking Plaza and the Shopping Complex in the Nagpur Municipal Corporation General Body Meeting, a proposal to build it on Build-Operate-Transfer (BOT) was suggested. However, Corporator Parinay Fuke opposed this BOT proposal, keeping in mind the financial crunch and instead suggested that this Parking Plaza and the Shopping Complex be built by a contractor on Tender basis.
This will not only beautify the Gokulpeth and Dharampeth area, the parking woes will come to an end for good.
By Samuel Gunasekharan
