Población y Muestra

77. Upendra market 87. Koley market

78. Narkeldanga market 88. Sealdah market 79. Grant Street market 89* Kali Bazaar

Co o Jai Hind market 90. Tiretta Bazaar 91. Manicktala Municipal Market (m)

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FiG,2.2„ G rowth of m arkets leading to agglom erations .

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Agglomeration location total number No. of municInal

1 north

of markets 22

markets 2

2 north 17 2

3 south 8 1

4 south 9 3

5 south 9 0

The average attendance at municipal markets varies considerably, ranging between 4 6© and2jr,£>00 per day. Three municipal markets in the ’A' class have an average attendance of above 3,800.

The three markets grouped as 'B ’ class each have an average atten­

dance of between 3,000 and 3,000. All the six markets mentioned above have an evening sector or operate both in the mornings and evenings, ‘whereas 'the remaining four markets, grouped as rC class, operate mainly during the day and have negligible evening sectors and so have lower average attendances - between 400 and 1,500. Allen market, with an average attendance of 3 5 0 , is one of the smallest and least important markets in Calcutta. The average attendances for Calcutta markets have been obtained from the 1961 census reports and the survey was initially undertaken by the Agricultural Marketing Board of Nest Bengal. The later market survey u n d e r t a k e n by the C.M.P.0. in 1964 shows the total consumev&for each of the 69 important daily markets of Calcutta. There seems to be a. great disparity here between the daily overage attendances and the total number of consumers in a day for the 'A' class markets. For example, College Street market has an average attendance of 25,000 (according to the I96I census), whereas according to the later survey the total

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consumers at the same market; again daily, is only 3?800. The attendance figures for the 'B1 and. *C’ class do not show such great disparities as for the 'A' class markets. The difference Between the two sets of figures in this case may Be only partly Because the average attendances also bakes into account the sellers in the market: the average attendance includes Both the Buyers and sellers, whereas total consumer* figures do not include the sellers in the market. The total consumer figure for New Market is not given for, as the survey points out, ’ the market serves more than half the city and can Be called the Metropolitan Daily Market1 (Sinha Ray, 1973),

In Calcutta, there seems to Be very little relation­

ship Between the catchment area of a market and the total number of consumers at the market. For example, Gariahat market and Park Circus market Both have service areas of 830 acres each, But total consumers for Gariahat market, which is an 'A' class market, is 5,500 and Park Circus market - a 'C' class market - is frequented By only 2,000 people daily (Table 2.1). The reason for this will Be

dealt with later on.

Functions of Municipal Markets

The principal functions of the municipal markets of Calcutta are the same as for other non-municipal markets.

They fall into two categories, namely retail and retail-cum—wholesale, or have a combined function. All the three iA’ class markets have a combined function ^f retail-cum-wholesale, whereas the remaining

seven markets have a mainly retail f u n c t i o n , 9^ of Calcutta's markets are retail markets. None of the municipal markets, therefore, has a

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purely wholesale fraction in the city. The retail markets are, however, of various sizes. For example, Lake Road market and Entally market attract as many as 3 ,5 0 0 consumers or custc-mcrs daily whereas Allen market is frequented by only 350 customers a day.

Service and Source areas of Municipal Markets

(i) Service area. The service areas of the m u n i c i p a l .markets vary enormously, from 43 acres to 830 acres*

The exact service area of He w Market has not been ascertained as it was found that this market serves the population of almost the whole cityj for this reason the Ne w Market has been classified

elsewhere as the Metropolitan Daily Market of Calcutta^ acting as a

nucleus of the marketing system of the city (Sinha Ray, 1973).

Gariahat market and Park Circus market both have service areas of 830 acres and rank fifth among the Calcutta markets. These two

markets are closely followed by Lansdowne market with a service area- of 753 acres. Entally market, Lake Road market, New Alipore market, College Street market, Allen market and*1astly?Manicktala market rank in order of. importance after Lansdowne market.

(ii) Source area. All the Calcutta markets, including the municipal markets,receive their daily supplies mainly from

within the state of Vfest Bengal termed by the C.M.P.0. as the DIA.

The following indices were chosen for the purpose of delineation of the DIA of Calcutta s (a) intensive area of commutation (b) the area from which the bulk of the perishable goods are supplied to the metropolis (o) the area in which both density of population and urban occupation are comparatively high (d) the area in which the

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intensity of newspaper supply from the city is sizeable (Dutt, 1972).

The DIA discussed in detail elsewhere is almost self sufficient in the following items? vegetables, milk and ordinary fruits (Fig. 1.8).

The entire supply of meat, however, comes from outside the DIA and part of the fish and egg supplyjis also procured from outside the DIA.,

Fish: 55$ outside DIA. F g g s : 25$ outside DIA

30$ from DIA 75$ from DIA

15$ Bangladesh

The eastern part of the DIA is the chief supplier of vegetables, fish, fruits and eggs, New Market is the only municipal market

acting as a wholesale market to the city (and deals mainly in w h ole­

sale trade of eggs). The sotirces of commodities of the t'hree municipal markets studied in the field are discussed in their respective ■>

chapters,

It is now time to examine in some detail three of the municipal markets of Calcutta, the ones chosen, as already noted

(p.ll ) being New market (Hogg market), Gariahat.market, and Manicktala market.

Chapter Three Hogg Market

Historical Aspects

It has already “been noted that there a.re more than 163 markets in Calcutta, including municipal, non-municipal and private markets, and that there are 10 municipal markets in the city. But of all these markets the biggest and most important market from the point of view of retailing consumers' goods is New Market, known officially as Sir Stuart Hogg Market (Fig.3.l). The variety of merchandise and the wide selection of goods to he found here -from a ladies handkerchief to a Royal Bengal Tiger (stuffed of course - is really astonishing. This indeed is one of the biggest market ...

complexes in the world and has a sprawl of more than 500,000 square feet of land, practically the whole of it being covered with one-storied sheds of different character and construction. The market is arranged into numerous stalls along pathways radiating from a

(Fig.3.2).

central junction point called the Rotunda^.The entire structure is a vast red-coloured building with a frontage of about 300 feet on Lindsay Street and a prominent Clock Totter. It is said that anything

■under the sun may be available in the some two thousand stalls in this market.

Sir Stuart Hogg Market was opened in 1874 by the Justice of the Peace Sir Stuart Hogg: as he was at that time chairman of the Justices, the market was named after him, A prize of Rupees 1,000, offered for the best design^was awarded to a Mr.R.