In the heart of Casablanca, the Central Market is much more than a simple place of commerce: it is an institution, a living witness to the evolution of the city, which is gradually changing its vocation. Fruit, vegetable, fish and meat stalls give way to restaurants that are springing up like mushrooms. And a little out of order. The announcement of its (real) rehabilitation at one time gave hope for a new lease of life for this emblematic but dilapidated address in the economic capital. But you will have to be patient.
With a budget of 60 million dirhams and entrusted to the company Réalités Maroc, the redevelopment work was postponed for logistical, but also political, reasons, leaving traders without visibility. If the ambition displayed by the city is to preserve the authenticity of the place while adapting it to modern standards, details on the progress of the construction site, its duration and the planned developments remain unclear. For now, we will have to make do with the main lines: shops on two levels, a greater range of restaurants, improvements for better accessibility and underground parking.
«Today, as part of the Casablanca upgrade, we have a new vision for historic markets to regain their shine. Either we rehabilitate them or we completely rebuild them, as is the case for the Bab Marrakech market.», Explains Jawad Rassam, vice-president of the Sidi Belyout district council. “This market, designed as an extension of the Lincoln Hotel, also currently being renovated, will offer pleasant pedestrian areas and facilities dedicated to visitors. The ambition is to create a harmonious and integrated center of attraction where heritage and modernity mingle», he adds.
At the Central Market of Casablanca. (A.Gadrouz/Le360)
Despite the ambition displayed, several obstacles stand in the way of the project. Administrative procedures and disagreements between the institutions concerned slowed down implementation. Delays in authorizations and administrative procedures slowed down the launch of the work. For the proponents of the 306 stalls which make up this market, it is anguish. The memory of the failure of a first attempt at rehabilitation is still vivid. With a budget of 16 million dirhams, work was carried out in 2019. But focused on aesthetic considerations, it will have only served to achieve few improvements.
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Another source of concern is the certainty that once the work begins, the market will have to be closed entirely. Discussions are underway to find temporary resettlement solutions for traders or financial compensation. But for the moment, nothing concrete has been announced.
«We are not against renovation, but we need guarantees. We have already been excluded from the municipal council meeting where the market renovation project was discussed even though we are the first to be affected. And we can clearly see that the 2019 project was ultimately window dressing», says Abdelilah Akkouri, president of the Central Market traders’ association. “What we ask is to take part in each stage of the project», Adds Akkouri. For him, a renovated market is beneficial for everyone but not to the detriment of the livelihoods of the traders who occupy it. Between disagreements from some and resistance from others, the work will not be started any time soon.
Par Rhyme Bousfiha et Adil Gadrouz
12/31/2024 at 9:43 a.m.
