Eviction notices from the Nagpur Municipal Corporation (NMC) have left shopkeepers at Gokulpeth Market in a state of uncertainty, with just one month to vacate their premises.
According to a media report, tension is rising among traders at Gokulpeth Market as the eviction deadline draws near. The Nagpur Municipal Corporation (NMC) had issued notices last month asking shopkeepers to vacate their premises within a month. The market currently has 72 shops under the Nagpur Improvement Trust (NIT) and 223 shops along with 13 platforms under NMC. Locals say many of these have been occupied by the same families for over four decades.
The NMC and NIT have planned to construct a multi-storey commercial complex at Gokulpeth Market, with a project cost of over ₹1,100 crore. Officials say the existing building is in a dangerously weak condition. According to the notice, “Therefore, in the interest of public safety and welfare, the building is to be demolished and, in its place, a commercial complex is to be constructed. For this purpose, NMC requires possession of the shop, which is owned by the NMC and currently under your use and possession of in Gokulpeth Market.”
“As per the govt resolution, your previous settlement will be accommodated in the same location within the newly built commercial complex,” reads the notice sent to one of the shopkeepers.
After receiving eviction notices, shopkeepers sought legal help and moved the district court. Advocate Sahil Bhangde, who is representing nearly 70 shopkeepers under the NMC, said they have filed a case against the notice and the court is likely to hear the stay request in a day or two.
“The NMC earlier served notices to shopkeepers occupying shops under NMC in 2023 after which we gave them our reply. The govt, through the GR, later also formed a committee to bring all the parties to the table and carry out the project with consensus,” said Bhangde.
He also said that the shopkeepers are not against the redevelopment, as they believe it is for public good.
“However, even after our multiple requests, the NMC or NIT has not shared any plans about the project or how they would accommodate the shopkeepers in the new building. How much money will the shopkeepers have to pay to get a unit in the new building? Would they be able to afford it? On which floor would the shopkeeper be provided a unit? The work of the project would take years, and till then, will another location be provided to the shopkeepers to run their shop?,” said Bhangde. He claimed that it is a matter of survival for the shopkeepers.
“We just want the shopkeepers and workers at the shop to not suffer as they need a place to do their business when the project work is under way,” said Bhangde. NMC’s deputy commissioner Milind Meshram confirmed that the NMC issued eviction notices to shopkeepers and also that some of them have approached the court. “The notices have been issued under Section 81(b)(1) of the Maharashtra Municipal Corporation Act, 1949,” said Meshram.
Read latest Gujarat news on theliveahmedabad.com
👉 Click here to read the latest Gujarat news on TheLiveAhmedabad.com