KOCHI: Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan on Tuesday inaugurated the work of setting up a new hitech multi-storey market complex at Aluva, which was first mooted over a decade ago.
The Rs 50 crore market project is a joint venture between the Central and state governments who will share the expense in the ratio of 60:40. Uralungal Labour Contract Cooperative Society (ULCCS) is carrying out the construction works.
The demolition of the old market, which was once among the most prominent marketplaces in central Kerala, started back in 2013, but the work dragged on due to various reasons, including legal challenges.
Though the then chief minister Oommen Chandy laid the foundation stone in 2015, there was no progress in the works. The market, located in the heart of the town, deteriorated literally into a dumpyard. It was fully demolished only recently.