Bhopal (Madhya Pradesh): Businessmen from the city say encroachments and inadequate parking space are the key hurdles in the growth of their businesses. Focus on the Old City, cleaner Bhopal with more public toilets and underground electricity cables are some of the issues the city traders expect the new legislators to address. Talking to Free Press, the city businessmen list their expectations from the candidate they would be electing next month. Less the problems the people face in visiting markets, the better it would be done, they argue.
Excerpts:
Modern Kirana Mandi
For the past more than 20 years, we have been demanding that a modern Kirana Mandi should be developed in the Old City. Traders and shopkeepers from small towns and villages around Bhopal come here every day to buy goods. The traders having their establishments in the Old City pay crores of rupees every year to the government as taxes. But the problems of the Old City are ignored. The New City is being developed but nothing is being done for the Old City. There is no proper parking system and the streets are narrow. Something should be done about it.
-Anupam Agarwal, general secretary, Bhopal Vyapari Mahasangh
Metro City?
Bhopal will soon have a Metro Train but when it will become a metro city. There is one simple example. The electric wiring in the entire city is open. Why can’t it be made underground? With webs of wire gone, the city will have a neater look. Moreover the incidents of fire and electrocution will come down. In the city as a whole and especially in the Old City, parking and encroachments are big issues. If these two problems are solved, it will give a big boost to business in the Old City.
-Madhur Agarwal, jeweller, Chowk Bazar,
High-tech Haat
Haat is held at Bittan Market organised on Mondays, Thursdays and Saturdays. Between 6 pm and 11 pm, around 20,000 persons visit these haats. That chokes the area around and movement becomes difficult. So, High-tech Haat should be made to avoid all this. The Haat area should be cleaned daily. The shops selling fish and chicken and two-wheeler repairers should be shifted elsewhere as they cause offensive smell and air pollution. The 40 permanent shops in the market are more than 38 years ago. They should be rebuilt.
-Rajendra Gupta, Gokul Mishthan Bhandar, Bittan Market
Reasonable parking charges
Parking is a major problem in New Market. It is insufficient and the charges are too high. If someone comes to purchase a thing worth Rs 50, why is he expected to spend Rs 10 on parking? Then, more than the stipulated amount is charged from the visitors. The New Market lacks a good public toilet. There is an old Sulabh Shauchalaya, which needs renovation. A She Lounge has been opened and that is a big relief for women.
-Purushottam Wadhwani, mobile accessories seller, New Market
Tax policy should be improved
Candidate should be from our area so that s/he could be in touch with the people. Besides, bettering basic infrastructure and providing roti-kapda-makan, education and medical facilities, jobs for educated youth are most needed. New Industrial corridors should be developed. Tax policy should be improved. The policy should be based on turnover and it should be mandatory to make all transactions through bank accounts.
Rambabu Sharma, president, Vijay Market Traders Association, Berkheda
