Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar:
To provide relief to traders affected by the road widening at Chikalthana, the municipal corporation has decided to construct a commercial complex on land adjacent to the district civil hospital. A fast-tracked tender process was conducted on a war footing. However, it has now come to light that the land is not yet under the municipal corporation’s possession. Until the land is officially handed over, the foundation ceremony (bhoomipujan) cannot take place. A fee has already been paid to the Department of Land Records (DLR) for surveying the land.
According to the development plan, the Chikalthana road has been widened to 200 feet, resulting in the demolition of several properties in the area. Many traders became unemployed due to this expansion. To support them, administrator G Sreekanth approved the construction of a 63-shop commercial complex in the same area. This complex is planned to be built on grazing land (government land) nearby, allowing displaced traders to restart their businesses.
The identified land is a 1.5-hectare plot located along Jalna Road. A portion of this land has already been used to construct a mini hospital (Mini Ghati), and the remaining area will now be used for the commercial complex. Besides, a portion of the land will be reserved for statues of important local figures. The project, estimated to cost ₹10 crore, has recently completed its tendering process. The contract has been awarded to United Construction.
Furthermore, ₹48,000 has been paid to the DLR for the land survey. The cost of constructing the complex will be borne by the traders, after which a nominal rent of ₹1 per square metre will be charged. However, before the project can begin, the land must be officially transferred from the District Collector’s office to the Municipal Corporation. This process is expected to take at least one to one and a half months. Therefore, the groundbreaking ceremony is likely to take place only after Diwali.