Noida's Sector 18 Market Association planning a CP-like facelift for the place

Till a few years ago, Sector 18 market was a hub for Noidawallahs, who frequented the place for shopping in both branded stores and street-side stalls or eating in the cafes or fine-dining restaurants. But now, Sector 18 has five malls in close proximity, which has resulted in a number of brands and food joints shutting shop in the market and opening an outlet in one of the malls. And that's not the only problem the market faces - never-ending construction work, lack of a regularized parking system, and no place to sit for pedestrians are some of the major factors behind the growing unpopularity of the once go-place in Noida.

In the past two-three years, Sector 18 became home to five malls, which are in close proximity to the market. This resulted in many fashion brands and eateries in the market moving to the malls. Another factor that contributed to the market’s decreasing footfall was the unregularised parking system

However, in 2018, things might not be as dull since the Sector 18 Market Association has chalked out a plan to revamp the market and increase its footfall. From taking small steps like placing potted plants around their shops for beautifying the area, to requesting the

Noida Authority

to regulate parking and designate a vendors' zone in the market - the association is planning a major overhaul of the market.

The redevelopment work started by the Noida Authority in 2012 is still on in some spots in the market, painting an ugly picture for the market, literally (BCCL/ Samik Sen)

'In talks with major apparel brands and food joints to open an outlet in the market'
Back in 2012, the Noida Authority came up with a redevelopment plan for the market, which started an endless phase of construction work. And with concrete rubble strewn all over, several shops had to suffer loss in business since shoppers avoided entering the area. This was followed by many international brands moving to the nearby malls, further putting a dent on the market’s business and customer footfall.

"Once the construction started, it did more harm than good. We started to lose our restaurant crowd, apart from the college youngsters who would come here to shop. Many eateries moved to the malls nearby and the shops were replaced by jewellery and electronics brands. Naturally, the market lost its young vibe. This year, we are making efforts to bring back that charm and give the market a facelift. We are in talks with big food and apparel brands who will be opening their outlets here. Apart from that, small cafes and food joints which are popular with youngsters will be running their business in the market," says SK Jain, President, Sector 18 Market Association.

Haphazard parking in the area often results in traffic jams (BCCL/ Samik Sen)Efforts to regularize parking system After an endless wait for the multi-level parking, the work for which started in 2013, shopkeepers are hopeful that it will open by the end of January. Since many large patches in the market still remain dug-up, parking has become a major problem, resulting in people preferring to go to the malls instead of wasting time in looking for parking in the market. To add to this, the incident of a woman being killed when allegedly a minor parking attendant was reversing a car in November, made matters worse for the market. After that, the members of the association met with the Noida Police and Authority to regularize parking in the area. “The problem of parking in the area has adversely affected our business. Nobody wants to come here and waste time in looking for a parking spot. Hopefully, the multi-level parking will start soon. Additionally, we have also met the police and the Noida Authority to come up with a plan to regularize the outdoor parking. This should make things better for us,” says Tarun Chopra, owner of an eatery in Sector 18 market.

The existing vendors’ zone in N Block is cluttered and has construction work going on nearby (BCCL/ Samik Sen)
Flashy signboards and entry gates for the marketThe association also plans to put up signboards, listing down popular spots of the area. "The existing signboards are inconspicuous. We want better placed signboards, like the ones in CP, for the market. Apart from that, we are in touch with the authority to build entry gates in the market with boards welcoming visitors. Also, we are pushing towards installing more streetlights in the area," says Sudhir Singhal, who owns a jewellery shop in the market.

Demarcation and beautification of a vendors’ zone for street-food stalls
Till a few years ago, the place had many momos wallahs, rolls and tikki wallahs, which were popular with youngsters. However, since none of these stall owners had licence, the Noida Authority removed them from the area and in 2015, allotted a vendors” zone in an extreme corner of the market, where the phase 2 construction is still underway. “We have requested the Authority to allot a better place to the vendors and beautify it so that more people visit the place. Nobody wants to eat in a filthy place where dirt and construction silt is floating in the air. We have requested the authority to allot more zones to the vendors,” adds Jain.

Green zones in the areaSome time back, shopkeepers contributed money to put up benches near their shops and have now also requested the authority to put up more benches and
develop seating areas in the market. A few weeks ago, the association decided to add 5,000 air-purifying plants and asked permission for turning nearby poles into vertical gardens.

Shopping carnivals to boost footfall Jain tells us, "We are aiming at giving the market a CP-like makeover. We have asked the authority if we can put up the Indian flag here like the one in CP. Apart from that, we have also asked for permission to build a kids’ playing area, and an amphitheatre. We will be hosting a winter carnival this month to attract more shoppers."

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