Good news for shopaholics! Soon the denizens of the State capital will get a new shopping destination conceived on the model of ‘Delhi Haat’, one of the most loved destinations and known for its vivid collections of art, crafts and food.
The Ranchi Municipal Corporation (RMC) is gearing up to give the city its first permanent Urban Haat, an open-air market located in the heart of Ranchi. After
approving the proposal of the Urban Haat recently, CM Raghubar Das will lay foundation of this ambitious project on Monday in the presence of several other dignitaries.
The project will boost tourism sector too besides providing platform to the local artisans to showcase their artifacts and other collections. The Urban Haat being constructed just behind Rock Garden will be completed within two years. Artisans from all the 24 districts including other States will be given the opportunity to put up their stalls here.
“From August 2016-18, the planning and construction work of the Urban Haat will be complete. The detailed project report (DPR) is ready and will be designed by the renowned architect and urban planner, Chaddha and Associates. Keeping the local requirement and Jharkhand tradition, the concept is being prepared. As far as, allotment of stalls is considered, it will be decided in the board meeting soon. At present no other department is involved in the project,” said, Assistant Municipal Corporation Commissioner, Bidyanand Sharma Pankaj.
Spread over an area of four acres and being constructed at the whopping cost `28 crore. Besides giving opportunity to local artisans and Self Help Groups (SHGs), other recreational activities also will be carried out here for leisure buffs.
“After the construction is complete, major fairs like Khadi Mahotsav and Saras Mela etc will be organised at Urban Haat. This is a good platform for artists to present their products directly before buyers at reasonable rate, instead of falling prey to middlemen and will also solve the problem of space crunch,” said, Deputy Mayor Sanjiv Vijaywargia.
Notably, few projects of Urban Haat will be run under Public Private Partnership mode to address the
maintenance issue. With 72 stalls each covering 100 sq. ft, four food courts spread over 400 sq. ft each including dormitories for accommodating 88 people for approximately 15 days, the Haat also comprises of seminar hall, exhibition dome and Banquet Hall for 500 people. As per the DPR, an open-air theatre will also be constructed where cultural events can be held.
Taking up the challenge of constructing the Haat on rock-strewn structure, Chief Architect of the project, Rajiv Chaddha added, “The entire concept is prepared after looking at the feasibility. We will not impede with the natural rock formation there. All natural sources like small pond and other present on the site will be utilized accordingly. Moreover, there is also a provision for adventurous sports activities. The entry will be from Dam side and Rock Garden entrance gate for public.”