Metro work, rains affect businesses in Shivajinagar

Ahna Prakash | NT
Bengaluru

For small businesses and stalls in Shivajinagar, the delay in metro construction and ongoing wet spell have hit their business hard. The shop owners complain that the slow pace of Bangalore Metro Rail Corporation Limited’s (BMRCL) construction and frequent heavy downpours often bring muddy water from the construction site into their shops.

Satish has a small stall near the Shivajinagar bus stand. His shop is among other small shops lined on one side of a narrow street which earlier was around 30 feet wide but has now been reduced to a little less than 15 feet. A major section of the road is now covered with the blue barricades of metro construction. “We had to move our shop this side when the construction started. Now we have a congested street, and the rain makes it worse for us. Due to the construction work, dirty muddy water runs into our stalls. So, we have to close it,” says Satish. Satish says he is considering relocating to another place in the city, but he doesn’t have enough capital to do so.

A fish shop owner in the Russel Market, Abdul, complains that he has lost many customers due to waterlogging on the road. “The customers would go to some other place, in nearby areas, to buy fish. Nobody wants to buy food from a dirty waterlogged shop. The authorities should do something about the construction work and finish it quickly,” says Abdul.

Many shop owners in the Shivajinagar’s Bamboo Market claim that several people have relocated elsewhere as they couldn’t wait any longer for the completion of the construction project. “The construction work started in 2019; it’s been three years. We are facing the same problem. Its dirt, dust and traffic jams in this area all the time. We have lost hope,” said Safeena, a vendor at the Bamboo market.

Yeshwanth Chavan, public relations officer at BMRCL, said, “The construction work is going on a fast pace. The site will be completed by 2024, and we are looking into issues created by the construction.”