The Connemara market at Palayam is set to get a major revamp under the Smart City project of the city Corporation. The existing cramped spaces will be replaced by a multi-level complex, which will also include parking spaces and extra commercial spaces. The development activities will be carried out within the market area by retaining the 19th century arched gate, considered one of the heritage monuments of the city.
The land within the market area is partly owned by the city Corporation, while the rest is owned by the Thiruvananthapuram Development Authority (TRIDA). The development works under the Smart City project will be carried out mostly in the land owned by the civic body.
The project pegged at around ₹100 crore will consist of a three floor complex and two underground floors for parking.
The existing shops, including the fish and vegetable vending markets, will mostly be accommodated in the first floor of the complex. The second and third floors are meant to accommodate new shops.
“Currently, there is a shortage of space between the shops. The corridor between the shops is also cramped. The new complex will be more spacious. The complex will be a functional one, but the heritage arch gate at the market entry point will be retained as it is,” said a Smart City official.
DPR being readied
The Detailed Project Report (DPR) is currently being prepared, and the work is expected to begin within three to four months, once the technical sanction is secured. When the city Corporation called a stakeholders’ meeting with representatives of the shopkeepers here, the major concern raised was on making alternative arrangements during the period when the construction activity will be going on.
The work is expected to take around one and a half years. The TRIDA’s parking space in front of the Palayam market and the space behind the market are currently being considered as options for relocating the shops during this period.
