Mumbai: 10 years after collapse, Babu Genu Market is 80 per cent complete

The under-construction Babu Genu Market building in Mazagaon on Saturday. Pic/Satej Shinde

More than a decade after the building that housed Babu Genu Market in Mazagaon collapsed, killing almost all inhabitants, the construction of its replacement is 80 per cent complete. The four-storey building came tumbling down around 6 am on September 27, 2013, killing 61 residents in their sleep and injuring 31. Following the collapse, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) made a provision of Rs 541.50 crore for structural repairs, demolition and reconstruction of civic body-owned buildings in the 2014-15 budget.

In 2016, the civic body came up with a plan to redevelop its markets, with incentives such as additional FSI. But the plan didn't work out. Two years later, the BMC started to reconstruct market buildings on its own and issued work orders for five markets-Crawford Market, Topiwala Market, Bandra Town Market, Shirodkar Market and Babu Genu Market.

The BMC announced in its budget estimates for 2024-25 that the work of Babu Genu Market is 80 per cent complete. In addition, 35 per cent work of Mahatma Jyotiba Phule (Crawford) Market, 20 per cent work of Shirodkar Market and five per cent work of Topiwala Market has been completed. There isn't any mention of Bandra Town Market.

An official from the BMC said, "There is a plan to reconstruct seven other markets and the redevelopment of 20 markets is being undertaken through private developers, out of which construction of eight markets have been completed and two are in progress." There are 92 existing municipal retail markets, 108 markets received under accommodation reservation and 16 private markets under the jurisdiction of the market department of BMC. The total number of municipal licensees in these markets is 18,760.

61
No of people who died in 2013 mishap