Kolkata: The keys to the shops and stalls of Bonorini Market at Bonhooghly, a project initiated by Refugee Relief & Rehabilitation Department, Government of West Bengal and implemented by Eden Realty, one of the leading real estate developers who were appointed as a PPP promoter of the project, were handed over to 10 beneficiaries by the Hon’ble Chief Minister of West Bengal, Smt Mamata Banerjee at Netaji Indoor Stadium The remaining102 beneficiaries received their keys from other dignitaries at Bonhooghly simultaneously at 4 p.m. today.
Professor Sougata Roy (Member Of Parliament, Lok Sabha), Shri Tapas Roy (Minister – Planning, Statistics & Programme Monitoring), Smt Dola Sen (Member Of Parliament, Rajya Sabha), Smt Aparna Moulik (Administrator, Baranagar Municipality), Shri Tamal Das (Additional Director & Project Director, Bonhooghly Housing Project, Department Of L&LR and RR&R), Shri Sumit Gupta (IAS, DM-24 Parganas(North)), Shri Abhro Adhikari (WBCS Exe, SDO Barrackpore), Shri Debashish Pahari (Officer In Charge, Baranagar PS), Shri Arya Sumant (Managing Director, Eden Realty) & Shri Shyamal Kumar Das (Director, Eden Realty Ventures Pvt Ltd) amongst others graced the occasion to hand over the keys to the beneficiaries at the Bonorini Market, Bonhooghly.
“It gives us immense satisfaction to be part of this exceptional initiative undertaken by the Government of West Bengal and the Department of Land & Land Reforms and Refugee Relief & Rehabilitation and thank them for believing in us to complete this project successfully and on time”, said Mr Arya Sumant, Managing Director, Eden Realty.
The Department of L&LR and RR&R (then known as Refugee Relief & Rehabilitation Department) Government of West Bengal initiated this project in 2006 to rebuild the dilapidated structures in Bonhooghly Tenement Scheme since they had become unsafe for about 800 families, through a public auction, where Eden Realty was appointed as the PPP promoter and was awarded the project. Sadly, for six years, the project could not take off due to opposition from majority of the inhabitants of Bonhooghly Tenement Scheme. In 2012, the present government led by Hon’ble Chief Minister of West Bengal, Smt Mamata Banerjee floated a new scheme for rehabilitation of these inhabitants which was embraced by all of them to pave the way for development of the project. The Hon’ble Chief Minister handed over to the keys to the beneficiaries herself.
Many of the families rehabilitated in Bonorini Housing Complex were having their shops and stalls in the dilapidated Tenement Bazar. In order to ensure that their means of livelihood are maintained, construction of a new market complex, Bonorini Market, was envisaged to rehabilitate them in 112 permanent shops and stalls. The scheme was approved by Department of L&LR and RR&R (then R.R&R Department) on 28th October, 2014 and subsequently approved by the cabinet dated 26th February, 2018. The construction of the new market complex has since been completed by Eden Realty and received completion certificate from Baranagar Municipality on 3rd March, 2020.