This weekend, in a move by the Navi Mumbai Municipal Corporation (NNMC), the water supply to the Mumbai Agricultural Produce Market Committee's (APMC) onion-potato market was disconnected. This action comes after years of warnings regarding the safety of the market's infrastructure. Additionally, NNMC has requested the Maharashtra State Electricity Distribution Company Limited (MSEDCL) to cut off the electricity supply to the facility, aiming to prompt a faster resolution to the structural concerns.
The decision follows a long-standing categorization of the market buildings as C1, indicating an immediate need for evacuation and demolition. The safety of daily visitors and workers has been a concern, highlighted by a recent incident where a ceiling partially collapsed. NNMC's measures, including the water and power cut, seek to mitigate the risk of further accidents, especially with the onset of the monsoon season.
Despite the urgency, redevelopment efforts have been stalled by various challenges. The APMC authorities are currently exploring alternative solutions to accommodate the traders' operations. Traders, on the other hand, express distress over the impact on their business and the wider supply chain in the Mumbai Metropolitan Region. They emphasize the necessity of additional Floor Space Index (FSI) in any redevelopment plan and are organizing to discuss future actions.
The NNMC asserts that the disconnection of utilities is a step towards ensuring the safety of the market's infrastructure and is working on providing a separate water connection for the APMC administration building to mitigate the immediate inconveniences caused by the water cut.
Source: hindustantimes.com