Thousands of textile traders eager to shift from the congested bylanes of Kalbadevi have been waiting for the last 15 years to move into the new Rs 250-crore complex, but not a single brick has yet been laid for the new complex as the state government broods over demands made by the traders.

The textile complex plot earmarked in the G Block of Bandra-Kurla complex is now like hundreds of others caught in the crisis caused by falling real estate prices and fleeing promoter-speculators. According to the All India Textile Complex Association's president Surendra Savai, the dispute is now 16 years old as the government is not willing to construct the entire complex for the traders and is instead just offering land. ``Nothing concrete came up even in our lastmeeting. We are still waiting,'' he said.

More than 1,000 traders had deposited Rs 15,000 back in 1983 to shift to the sprawling Bandra-Kurla Complex -- touted as the next central business district after Nariman Point -- but in the last 16 years, the government has not been able to take any concrete step to de-congest Kalbadevi area. ``Frequent transfers in MMRDA have led to this deadlock,'' Savai said.

Though several commodity markets, including the sugar, grain, oilseeds, spices, vegetables and fruits market, have shifted to Vashi from south Mumbai, the textile industry continues to operate from its dingy offices in Kalbadevi and the surrounding areas. Hence there was an urgent need to shift the textile industry to the Bandra-Kurla Complex on the lines of the diamond bourse but if Savai is to be believed, nothing will move till the next assembly elections in Maharashtra.

The government had first announced the industry's relocation in 1983 and offered a discounted rate of Rs 500 per square foot at theproposed site. Later, the MMRDA revised its price to 3,500 per square feet -- which, the traders say, is very high given the slump in the real estate market.

Incensed traders also moved Bombay High Court to obtain a stay on the hike in prices, and the court granted a stay on government order till the case was finally disposed off.

Besides, other traders of the 60,000-strong trading community who did not get space in 1983 moved court and asked the government not to go ahead with the project unless they are also given space in the complex.

The relocation was also marred by the fact that there was no clarity on the area offered to each shop. The government proposal envisages alloting shops of 200 square feet to each but does not mention whether the area is carpet, built-up or super-built-up. ``Due to this confusion, we can lose over 35 per cent of the 200 square feet, which may not be economically viable for us,'' says Bharat Shah, one of the textile traders.

The real estate situation has changeddramatically since 1983, when the decision to shift the textile market was taken. The real estate industry was then riding on a speculation wave and the industry was buoyant. Since 1994-95, real estate prices have crashed dramatically and even the textile industry is shifting to Surat, Bhiwandi and Ahmedabad, leaving Mumbai, once the centre of the textile industry, behind. ``No one is going to Bandra-Kurla... why should we?'' asks an old-timer in Kalbadevi. As usual, it is the old generation which is resisting the shift, while the new generation wants to operate from swanky new offices.

Thus, traders say, it is not possible to construct a new complex till the industry picks up and the court, the state government and the traders sort out the differences among themselves and begin the relocation.