Rs 56 crore Vellore Nethaji market complex reconstruction hit by ASI regulations roadblock

According to Vellore traders’ association president RP Gnanavelu, there are currently 756 shops that function paying monthly rent to the local civic body, besides another 169 platform (medai) shops and 200 traders selling wares on the pavement, in the Nethaji market complex located behind Ma Pa Sarathi Maligai across Anna Salai.

Besides issues of congestion due to its proximity with the Long bazaar and water stagnation hitting the public in the event of rain, frequent complaints of shops encroaching on public walking space led to Corporation officials here deciding to demolish the complex in question and instead build a two-storeyed complex to house the shops at an estimate of Rs 56 crore under the smart city project, sources said.

While officials said the new complex would house only 756 shops paying monthly rent, a furore was created when the Corporation stated the shops after construction would be auctioned while the traders’ association wanted priority to be given to the original owners. Questions as to where the shops would be located during the time of construction were also never answered to clearly, traders’ association sources said.

The issue only became more complex when ASI, who manage the Vellore Fort, refused permission for the proposed construction-despite it being located behind the already existent Sarathi Maligai-citing that the new complex would lie within 100 metres from the fencing of the historical Fort’s perimeters.

When asked about the issue, ASI officials said that the Sarathi Maligai building was permitted to stand as per the ASI Acts of 1958 and 1992 that allowed a regulated approach. However, the updated ASI Act of 2010 (The Ancient Monuments and Archaeological Sites and Remains (Amendment and Validation) Act, 2010) made it a prohibited area, and hence permission was refused for the new complex, sources added. The regulations might be relaxed for underground structures, sources said.

The Vellore traders’ association have, meanwhile, filed a case in the Madras High Court demanding that officials seek exemption from the Archaeological Survey of India to ensure constructionand the continued livelihood for the traders.