Goregaon's Topiwala Market to partially reopen on November 30 after eight years

The way has finally been cleared for the historic Topiwala Market in Goregaon to reopen. Awaiting redevelopment for the past eight years, the market is likely to open partially on November 30.

The 206 shops on the first two floors will be opened to traders. The move will bring major relief to hundreds of traders who have struggled to make a living for years.

The date was fixed at a review meeting held at the P-South ward office of the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation. The meeting was convened by Mumbai North West MP Ravindra Waikar, who took stock of the redevelopment work. Municipal officials assured at the meeting that the shops on the first two floors would be given to traders by November 30.

In 2018, work began to demolish the old market building and the theatre next to it and build a modern commercial and residential complex. The work stalled, however, and many traders have had to do business on the surrounding roads. This has hurt their trade and added to traffic jams in the area.

Dilip Shinde, a former corporator of the Shinde faction of the Shiv Sena, said traders had suffered heavy losses because the market stayed shut. He also said local residents who depend on the market to buy fruit and vegetables were facing hardship. Shinde warned that if the November 30 deadline is not met, the municipal administration will be held responsible.

What caused the delay? According to senior municipal officials, the redevelopment ran into several technical and administrative hurdles. The project was delayed by the removal of underground high-tension power lines, excavation in hard rock, legal obstacles, the halt in work during the Covid period and the cancellation of the previous contractor's agreement.

The 16-storey project is being built on 3,438 square metres of land. There will be 206 commercial shops, 112 on the ground floor and 94 on the first floor. It will also have 53 residential flats, an 800-seat auditorium, parking for 192 vehicles and recreational facilities on the terrace.

The project's cost was initially estimated at Rs 125.71 crore. The Goregaon Market Traders Welfare Association had demanded redevelopment from the municipal corporation's market department, after which work began in 2018. After standing still for about two years, work resumed in 2022. Meanwhile, when the original contractor's agreement ended, the municipal corporation rejected a proposal to relax the 10 per cent cap on cost escalation. As a result, the contract was cancelled and a fresh tender was issued in 2024 for the remaining work. Repeated delays and tax-related changes have pushed the cost from Rs 125.71 crore to Rs 202 crore.

The entire project is targeted for completion by March 2027. Efforts are reportedly under way to finish the remaining work before that.

Topiwala Market is named after Anant Shivaji Desai, who was known as "Topiwala" because he sold caps. After eight years of waiting, there is now hope that the historic market will come alive again. If the 206 shops open on November 30, traders will get a permanent place, and crowding and traffic jams on the area's roads could ease.