Hyderabad: The Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation’s model market project appeared to have gone for a toss and could be in place earliest by 2024.
The civic body which had promised to construct 50 model markets as part of the 100-day action plan in 2015 and 200 in a year so far managed to construct a mere 30.
Sources claimed that model market construction was only a false promise and it would take at least five to 10 years to construct 200 markets. However, during every review meeting officials claimed they would complete construction in five months.
The civic body completed construction of just 32 with each costing Rs 20.33 crore. There were seven shops in the ground floor, each of 70 to 140 sqft, and the first floor had eight shops with parking, toilets and other facilities.
The markets were valued much higher than the current rate. When the average rent for a shop in the open market was Rs10,000, the model market rent was Rs 25,000-Rs 30,000.
A senior GHMC official said the corporation had invited tenders for the 32 completed markets. Till March 5, the corporation finalised tenders for about 15 and would finalise the rest at the earliest. Initially, markets were valued at a very high rate and evidently had no takers, forcing GHMC to revisit its plan. The rates were revised based on each locality and tenders were invited only in West Zone.
Only two people, each one in MIG BHEL and TNGO’s colony responded, and that too for shops reserved in the SC category. Two shops were allocated to SC beneficiaries while one was allocated to an ST beneficiary in each market.
About completion of construction of remaining 168 markets, the official said that the corporation had to finalise tenders and lease them out to tenants. Construction of model markets had been temporarily halted and could not be completed prior to election.
