KMC cannot hand over Park Circus market to Reliance: Mamata

Express news service Posted: Feb 19, 2008 at 0045 hrs
Kolkata, February 18 Trinamool Congress chief Mamata Banerjee declared that her party will not allow the CPM-led Kolkata Municipal Corporation (KMC) hand over the Park Circus market to Reliance. She was addressing a meeting on the market premises on Monday evening.

“The market is Wakf property. Therefore, the civic body has no right to hand it over to Reliance. We will support the traders and not allow the KMC to privatise the market,” she said.

Left Front partner Forward Bloc has also refused to accept the CPM’s decision of allowing the entry of private companies in the retail sector.

Mamata asked Opposition leader in the KMC, Javed Ahmed Khan, to bring an adjournment motion in the monthly session to be held on February 20.

Agreeing with the decision, Khan said: “The Trinamool will support the traders.”

About 500 shop-owners of Park Circus market will submit a deputation to Mayor Bikash Ranjan Bhattacharya on the same day.

“Under no circumstances, we will agree with the KMC’s decision. We will not shift to the Park Circus Maidan,” said Abdullah Ansari, joint secretary of the Park Circus Market Association.

We have joined hands with the Trinamool to set up a co-ordination committee to resist the KMC’s efforts to persuade traders to shift, Ansari said.

The KMC had asked the shop-owners to shift to the Park Circus Maidan after it struck a deal with Reliance last year.