Little maintenance over years, INA Market flith

NEW DELHI: This is a favourite destination for Delhi’s diplomats and foreign tourists to do grocery shopping. But over the years, the high-end INA Market has deteriorated a lot because of lack of proper maintenance — it now reeks of filth with sewer lines overflowing everywhere. With no civic agency coming forward totake the responsibility and the traders still fighting for their lease deedcopies, the association of Indian National Army Market has moved the high courtto settle the issues. “Our market has been ignored by allgovernment agencies for years now. It lacks even the basic civic amenities. Wehave had to collect money from the traders in the area to create a proper sewagesystem. We have also pitched in to construct public urinals in the area. With noone willing to carry out the maintenance, we have had to approach the highcourt,” said Ramesh Bhutani, the president of the INA Market tradersassociation. According to the association, the case will come up again onOctober 17. The traders allege they have built the sewage systemwith their limited means but the system is not connected with the sewage linesof the surrounding areas. “There is no proper outlet for the sewagesystem. It reeks of filth and dirt and there is stagnant water everywhere. Somany diplomats visit the market but no one has bothered with improving thecondition of the market. They would rather have people walking around with acloth or hands over their mouths to keep the foul smell at bay,” said theowner of Krishan Lal Masala Store, Kamal Sharma. The traders claim their marketis under the Land & Development Office and has not been transferred to anycivic body as yet. The market has 275 shops which sell importedgrocery products, poultry and seafood among other things. “We have beenrunning after all civic agencies to resolve the maintenance problem but no oneis willing to do anything. The Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) is more thanwilling to collect the property tax and the licence fees from us but distancesitself from the market beyond this. The New Delhi Municipal Council (NDMC),which is responsible for parking, has at least improved that area besidesupgrading the footpaths,” said Bhutani. MCD had promised toimprove the area by constructing fancy kiosks before the Commonwealth Games butnothing has been done so far. “We are in the process of setting up 151kiosks. These kiosks will be the temporary tehbazaari sites which will beallocated to the vendors in the area. As far as maintenance of the market isconcerned, it is not under us. It is a Central Public Works Departmentmarket,” said MCD spokesperson Deep Mathur. “We havebeen fighting for the ownership rights of our shops. We paid money in the early90s to enable the government to lease out these shops to us. But this neverhappened,” said Surinder Dua, the owner of Vishal Silk Store. Dua saidthat with the presence of several chicken and meat shops and lack of properwaste disposal, the market emanates a foul smell all the time.