Shopkeepers at NIT's Sitabuldi trade complex complain of leaking roofs and a dilapidated women's toilet
Traders say the Nagpur Improvement Trust complex, built in 2002, has gone without repairs or painting for 15 to 17 years while they keep paying ground tax.
The Nagpur Improvement Trust's (NIT) trade complex in Sitabuldi has been reduced to a near-ruin by lack of maintenance. Shopkeepers say the complex has not been painted in years. According to them, the NIT still collects ground tax on time, but the administration has made no arrangement for cleaning.
Everything from the staircases to the walls of the complex looks dilapidated. Rainwater leaks through the roofs of the shops. Shopkeepers have to make do by spreading plastic sheets on the roof or by other makeshift measures, and their business is suffering as a result.
Shopkeepers said the complex was built in 2002 and has about 114 shops. The building has not been maintained or painted for the past 15 to 17 years, so its condition keeps worsening.
An inspection of the complex found the conditions shocking. The entire building, outside and in, looked faded. The walls appeared not to have been cleaned for years. Dust and filth were visible in many places. The roof is damaged in several spots, and the staircases are in the same state.
The building has toilets for men and women, but without upkeep they too are in a pitiable state. The women's toilet looked particularly bad. It is always locked, and the lower part of its door is broken. Women are therefore likely to feel uncomfortable using it.
During the monsoon, the shopkeepers' business suffers further. Water drips from the roofs of the shops, causing great difficulty. Rainwater also falls from the complex's roof, and many shops get flooded. The building has not been painted for about 15 years. Shopkeepers pay ground tax to the NIT regularly.
According to Babbu Bhai, president of the Sitabuldi trade complex, the shops in the complex are on a 30-year lease, and shopkeepers pay ground tax to the NIT. The shopkeepers' association looks after cleaning and basic upkeep on its own, while the NIT is responsible for the main structure of the building.
The association has submitted applications to the NIT seeking demolition of the old building and construction of a new complex. However, despite several applications, no concrete step has been taken so far. According to Babbu Bhai, the process of renovation and reconstruction needs to begin as soon as possible.
