KOCHI: Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, while inaugurating the new Ernakulam market complex on Saturday, said that the new facility has the potential to draw the attention of tourists with its global standards.
“The market complex with state-of-the-art facilities is a new step in the commercial growth of Ernakulam district. The cooperation of the business community and the public helped carry out the construction without any interruption. The traders cooperated wholeheartedly. The state government aims to complete the construction of projects on time everywhere,” the chief minister said.
The construction of the 19,822.14 sq ft complex was started in February 2022. The project, completed by spending `72 crore, has three floors with separate commercial and office spaces. “Ernakulam market can energise the field of tourism and thereby help in the growth of the city. It will soon be a destination for tourists who arrive in Kerala,” he said.
The market is designed to be comparable to modern markets in world-class cities, with a loading and unloading area, solar lights, toilets, safety equipment, a water tank, a ramp, a waste management system, a drainage system, a lift, etc. A total of 275 shop rooms have been prepared in the market complex. Of these, 130 are vegetable shops, 52 are stationery shops, and 28 are meat and fish shops.
At the event, he also laid the foundation stone for the parking complex, which can park 120 cars and 100 bikes, which is being constructed spending Rs 24.65 crore.
Ministers M B Rajesh and P Rajeeve, MP Hibi Eden, MLAs T J Vinod and Uma Thomas, Mayor M Anilkumar, and others attended the event.
‘Ernakulam needs a better KSRTC stand’
Speaking at the event, Hibi Eden, MP, said that the KSRTC bus terminal and other facilities need attention. “When we celebrate the inauguration of the market complex, which was built with the cooperation of the representatives, officials, government and non-governmental organisations, we should also remember that the district has the worst bus terminal. The issues should be addressed at the earliest,” he said.