Kolkata: Demolition of old Maidan Market building is likely to start by the first week of Dec and the physical construction of Esplanade station could begin in March or April, senior railway officials have said.Sources said some more defence land is required for construction of Esplanade station of Purple Line and railways are in discussions with the ministry of defence. Indian Army is the custodian of Kolkata Maidan and any construction there needs its nod.Esplanade station will be ready by Dec 2030, said an official.All 528 stalls of Maidan Market – Dr BC Roy Market – have relocated to the new structure built for them. The old Maidan Market is no longer functional. The gates have been locked.The plan to shift Maidan Market was first mooted over 3.5 years back.“Now that traders have relocated, we will begin demolition of the old market. The plan is to start demolition by first week of Dec,” said a railway official. “Some work has to be completed between demolition of the old market building and start of construction of Esplanade station. Esplanade Tram Depot needs to be shifted for construction. Vehicular traffic on Dufferin Road must be diverted,” said an official.A senior Metro Railway official said RVNL, the railways subsidiary that is the executing agency of the project, has promised to “start the physical construction of the station by April, 2027”.RVNL and Larsen and Toubro (L&T) officials inspected Maidan Market’s old building on Saturday as preparations to pull down the structure begin. L&T is the private contractor building Purple Line.Though traders have evacuated the old market building, they are yet to hand over keys. Kishore Manglani, secretary of the stall owners’ association, said they still retain the keys to the individual stalls and old market. Manglani said some amenities promised in the new market were yet to be delivered. He, however, added that RVNL was cooperating with them.In a release issued in March, the Press Information Bureau (PIB) said the relocation of traders and construction of the station had been pending for 3.5 years. “For construction of the Esplanade metro station, temporary shifting of unauthorised 528 shops at BC Roy Market on defence land was required. The proposal for NOC of temporary shifting of market was submitted in Feb, 2022,” the release said.Only 7.7 km of Purple Line, between Joka and Majerhat, is operational now. This line is planned to span 26.8 km and end at Eden Gardens.
