TMC readies plan for biz hub in Kharegaon

THANE: The civic administration is working out plans rehabilitate the owners who lost their shops to the road widening across the city. The Thane Municipal Corporation (TMC) is planning to convert Kharegaon area into a commercial hub in Kalwa and is in the process of readying a proposal to alter the land, which is currently the defunct octroi naka.
The TMC has proposed to construct shopping galas and plazas at the existing octroi posts at Kharegaon.As the number of rehabilitation of traders is high, it has been decided to alter the reservation of the octroi post to accommodate the commercial units.
The decision was taken at a meeting of senior civic officials called by the civic commissioner Sanjeev Jaiswal to discuss the rehabilitation of commercial traders. While the rehabilitation of residential owners was done almost instantly during the demolition drives conducted in several parts of the city, there wasn’t any relief plan sketched for the commercial gala owners following which Jaiswal drafted the plan for their adequate rehabilitation.
Around 36 traders including small size industries that were affected completely due to the ongoing road widening work in Upvan will now be rehabilitated at Kharegaon. The administration is also working on rehabilitating other affected traders to this belt once it is developed.
Meanwhile, following requests by traders, Jaiswal has decided to ensure traders from certain areas stretches are rehabilitated in the same stretch so as to ensure their business isn’t affected.
As per the TMC reports, around 54 people affected by the Pokhran 1 road demolition will be accommodated at the 1600sqm plot at Dosti Vihar while 117 shop owners who lost their units during the widening of Pokhran 2 road will be accommodated at the 1300sqm amenity plot on the same stretch. Further some temporary stall demolished near Mhada colony will be restored at a 3000sqm plot in the same area.
“We have taken the decision to rehabilitate those traders who are completely affected by the demolition drives undertaken for road widening in several parts of the city. We will propose an industrial zone in Kharegaon where all commercial units, especially affected ones, will be rehabilitated in a single area,” said Jaiswal.