The Gorkhaland Territorial Administration (GTA) started a survey of the Chowk Bazar area in Darjeeling on Monday ahead of constructing a parking and shopping place in one of the main business centres of the town.

The Chowk Bazar comprised a vacant space of around 180sqm and buildings on all four sides when it was set up in the 1920s. Traders used to display their wares in the open area during the day. Concrete structures started coming up in the vacant area in the 1950s.

The GTA now wants to come up with a four-storey building in this space.

“We have started a survey to construct a four-storey building here. This is an effort of Anit Thapa (chief executive, GTA) to streamline the lower market,” said Rajesh Chauhan, the deputy chairman of the Gorkhaland Territorial Administration (GTA) Sabha.

The GTA is looking at allocating two floors for parking.

The rest two floors will establish all shops presently occupying this space, display area for self-help groups and a community hall.

Chowk Bazar is a bustling market in the lower area of the town which has a variety of shops from vegetable vendors, groceries to small eating joints.

The Darjeeling municipality wanted to develop this space in 2012 on a public-private-partnership model.

There were plans to also set up a rain harvest unit in the new complex but the project did not take off.

“The state government has asked us to submit a plan and estimate for the same and this is why we are conducting the survey,” said Chauhan.

Traffic congestion is a major issue in Darjeeling town, which gets more accentuated during the peak tourist period.

A survey conducted by the Darjeeling police found that the average travel time from Ghoom to Darjeeling Motor Stand, covering a distance of 11.2km, was around 1.45 hours during peak tourist time against an average of 26.5 minutes during other days.

While the parking spaces in Darjeeling are covered by taxis, there is no dedicated space for private vehicles to park in town.

“We are looking at providing a dedicated space for private vehicles in the new project,” said Chauhan.