Reliance to redevelop Kolkata''s Park Circus municipal market

New Delhi: The West Bengal government has given Kolkata''s Park Circus municipal market to Reliance Retail for re-development.
This contract, which was awarded to Reliance in the last week of May comes soon after CPI (M) general secretary Prakash Karat''s demand that the central government should regulate the entry of big Indian companies in the retail business.

The re-development contract was given to Reliance Retail by the Kolkata Municipal Corporation based on a bid made by the company in response to a global tender notice.

According to sources, once the company is done with the redevelopment, it will get space for one hypermarket, a Reliance Fresh store (the food & grocery format) and one Reliance Digital store (the consumer durable format).

This contract will give Reliance Retail a foothold in West Bengal. Reliance Fresh already has a store in Ranchi, in the neighbouring state of Jharkhand, was recently ransacked by an association of local shopkeepers and fruit and vegetable vendors. Between West Bengal, Jharkhand and Bihar, the company is looking at more than 25 stores by the year end.

Reliance Retail plans to source large quantities of agricultural products from Bihar and West Bengal.

To contain political opposition in these states, the company plans to run a series of awareness building exercises, mainly focused on consumers and farmers.