Traders meet DGDE to resolve decades-old issue

Nashik: A delegation of traders from the Market Deolali Camp had met with Director General Defense Estates (DGDE) Ajay Sharma in New Delhi to take efforts to resolve the decades-old issue between the Deolali Cantonment Board (DCB) and the traders concerning the commercial complex in Levitt Market proposed by the board over 20 years ago.

The delegation of traders was led by MP Hemant Godse and vice president of Deolali Cantonment Board Bhagwan Kataria. There are 153 shops in Deolali Camp’s Levitt Market. As per cantonment rules, the cantonment board has to conduct an auction of shops for renting them out. About two decades ago, the board had prepared a proposal for constructing a shopping complex in Levitt Market. The board had proposed that the 270 shops in the new commercial complex would be leased out through auction.

However, the traders of Levitt Market, who had shaped their business for over seven decades, were against the auctioning process, following which they approached the court. Since then the issue has been sub-judice.

Kataria told TOI that during the meeting with DGDE Ajay Sharma, it was brought to the latter’s notice that the traders were not against the commercial complex. They want 153 shopkeepers to get their shops as per the rent according to the law and the remaining shops can be auctioned.

The traders are also willing to get the complex constructed through Build Operate Transfer (BOT) basis or self-funding. Such complexes have also been set up in the cantonments of Pune and Bhingar in Ahmednagar district.

Ajay Sharma told the visiting delegation that though the issue is sub-judice he would speak to the secretary of the Defence Department and other officials to come up with a solution, said Kataria.

Currently, the DCB earns annual revenue of Rs 15 lakh from Levitt Market. Once the complex is ready, the annual revenue could increase to Rs 3 to 4 crore.


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