‘Palike Bazaar’ deserted; vendors caught in limbo

About a fortnight after the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) inaugurated the underground ‘Palike Bazaar’ in Vijayanagar, the Air Conditioned (AC) markets remain abandoned. Vendors said that they hadn’t moved to the Palike Bazaar because of a fear of losses owing to not many people being aware of the new spot, leading to poor footfall. Others said that they were still waiting for official permission from the BBMP to set up shop.

On August 25, Chief Minister Siddaramaiah inaugurated the underground bazaar –supposedly the first of its kind in south India – near the Vijayanagar bus stop. The AC shopping complex is modelled after Delhi’s ‘Palika Bazaar’. Built under the CM’s Urban Development fund, the complex offers 77 shops. Moved to market, then relocated: Hawker Vendors who had the option of conducting business in the bazaar had to relocate back to their original spots, which they complained were vulnerable to rains and traffic-related hindrances.

Gangamma, a vendor, said that she wasn’t expecting good footfall in the Palike Bazaar. “Not many people know about this bazaar. Frequent power cuts here are also not helping us,” she said. Mujeeb, a vegetable vendor said that the two-day holiday owing to Ganesha Chaturthi falling on a Saturday had delayed the clearing of their pending paperwork. “We’re still not registered vendors in the bazaar as of yet,” he said. Moreover, ward level officials are yet to inspect the bazaar more than a week into its opening. “We’re awaiting files,” a ward l eve l BBMP official said. Sources in the BBMP said that a committee to select vendors and decide on the payment system is yet to be chaired. “It’s the local MLA’s call,” the source added. Critics said that the inconsistency exposes the disharmony between the infrastructure being built and its utilisation.

An elected corporator usually heads such ward-level committees and is responsible for implementing the plans as funds are released. However, BBMP elections have been due since 2020. The Congress State government had announced the new delimited wards in August 2023 responding to a Karnataka High Court (HC) order. The number of wards in the city has increased from 198 to 225. However, 50 per cent of the wards are yet to be earmarked for women.