Gaddigodam's Gol Bazaar in Nagpur faces sewage, no parking and falling sales, traders say

The Bhosle-era Tularamji Sakhare Gol Bazaar at Gaddigodam Chowk in Nagpur district has fallen into disrepair for want of basic facilities. Traders say their business is shrinking by the day because customers are coming less often, put off by the inconvenience.

According to the traders, parking and the drain lines are the market's biggest problems. They say the Nagpur Municipal Corporation (NMC) does not seem serious about these issues despite repeated complaints. They allege that the corporation collects the full rent from them every month, yet does not even attend to regular cleaning.

The traders said the market once had a large open compound, which is now part of a metro station. Customers used to park their vehicles there, and it was this compound that gave the market the name Gol Bazaar. A metro building now stands on the site and the parking arrangement has ended. With no parking, fewer customers come and the traders' difficulties have grown.

Gol Bazaar also has a long-established mutton market, but it too is beset by problems. Traders say the drain line is damaged and clogged. They allege that sanitation department officials threaten them instead of solving the problem. According to them, sanitation workers have turned the market into a garbage dump, and waste from nearby settlements is also brought and dumped here. Garbage is not collected on Sundays, which is the most important day for business, so the losses that day are heavy.

The drain problem here is old and complicated. The drain line chokes at several places, and dirty water flows through the compound every other day. The drainage arrangement has also broken down. As a result, business is almost ruined during the monsoon. A single heavy shower causes severe waterlogging and the whole market turns into a pond.

Ashish Walde, a tea-leaf seller, said the market has no drainage as well as no parking, and the NMC pays no attention. Traders face the same trouble every year in the rains. During heavy rain it is hard to step out of the shop, customers shy away, and water from the compound starts entering the shops.

Prakash Jais, a grocery and grain trader, said the market's parking was lost when the building came up and business was very badly hit, but the administration took no initiative in the traders' interest. According to him, the NMC takes the full rent but provides no facilities, and in this state the Bhosle-era Gol Bazaar is losing its existence.

Traders also say that after the shops close at night, anti-social elements become active at various spots in the compound. Drunkards and gamblers gather there. Shops have been burgled several times, causing losses to traders. According to them, the NMC has made no solid security arrangements.

Neha Madne, who sells tea and snacks, said the market compound does not even get regular cleaning and the shopkeepers have to clean it themselves. The biggest problem is the drain line, which keeps choking. Dirty water collects in the compound, a stench spreads quickly and mosquitoes are multiplying. She also said the market has no proper arrangement even for drinking water.