Flea market group approaches experts for alternate plans

Nafees Allahwala,who heads the 1500-member Gujri Association,said the relocation is an attempt to ruin the heritage of the place.

“Shifting is out of question. The new market will accommodate vendors from Teen Darwaza and Ravivari. Will the other vendors vacate the space every Sunday for us after doing business for six days? Where will they move their goods,” Allahwala said.

The association has now teamed up with students and faculty from the National Institute of Design (NID) and IIM-A for parallel plans in a bid to save the market.

Navdeep Mathur,a professor of Public Policy at IIM-A said: “AMC’s plans are against the basic principles of business. The flea-market evolved where it is because it is the best place for it. It is eye-catching; is easy to reach for anyone; the supply chains are established; and it is well integrated with the markets in Lal Darwaza and Teen Darwaza. If you cut it from these markets,it will die.”

On his part,AMC Commissioner I P Gautam said: “What we want to do is organise them. We plan to start two more such markets — in the East Zone and the New West Zone,” adding that the Standing Committee will decide on the locations.

He said more such markets are needed because “the city has grown five-fold. “Why should people from the remote areas come this far? This area was easily approachable earlier,but now there is heavy traffic,” he added.

He said the new markets should be seen as social ventures and not commercial ones,adding that the rent will be nominal for the stalls.

Allahwala said AMC’s earlier experiment of shifting them to the Navrangpura bus-stand had failed.

“The present scheme is not acceptable to us. We have lost the case in the Gujarat High Court and will now approach the Supreme Court.”

NID student chips in
Final year Space and Exhibition Design student at NID,Sanaa Degani,has already drawn up plans for the flea market.

They include fixed kiosks of uniform sizes with roofs,food stalls,a pathway between stalls large enough to admit both hand-carts and visitors,and toilet facilities.

The plan also involves opening the Ganesh Bari,inside which is a staircase connecting Ellisbridge to the market,and convert the cylindrical space into an exhibition venue — with photographs and documents of the market’s history.

The plan also envisages the market area as a recreational space during weekdays.