Kolkata to get a floating market | Fusion - WeRIndia

Have you ever thought of a floating market? Can you buy in the market inside a water body?

So far it may a dream. But, now it will become true to the citizens of Kolkata. The Kolkata Urban Development Minister Firhad Hakim wants to have the first floating market in the country and the Metropolitan Development Authority (KMDA) authorities are studying the feasibility.

The minister was inspired by the floating market in Bangkok.

If the market comes to functionality, then it will be the third such market in Asia. The entire lake in the Patuli area will be transformed into a floating market. It has about 24,000 sq m in area. Patuli is a neighbourhood in south Kolkata.

228 local shop owners are to be rehabilitated due to the removal of local market in Kolkata while adjoining the bypass in the process of widening.

There is one such market at Dal Lake in Srinagar but it is not an organized one.

In the Kolkata market, everything will be organized. There will be ramps for customers. The goods will be sold in clusters. Each area will be dedicated to sell specific items like one area for vegetables, another for flowers, another for fruits and so on.

114 boats have been made in Hooghly district for this market and each can have two shops, that means total 228 shops will be accommodated in 114 boats.

The market timings are not yet decided by the KMDA authorities, but the timings are fixed at 5:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. and 3:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. tentatively.

The KMDA authorities are avoiding the usage of plastic. A water purifier will be installed to clean the water.

The cost of project is expected to be nearly ₹10 crore. The floating market will be ready by the end of January 2018 and the Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee will inaugurate it.

In addition to the market, a cafe, a track for joggers, seats, fountains and a light-and-sound show in the evening time are also proposed.

Image credit: Photo by Frida Aguilar Estrada on Unsplash (Free for commercial use)

Image Reference: https://unsplash.com/photos/_ffkj8TnuGo