Although the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) has but to situation a young for auctioning areas at Palike Bazar at Vijayanagar, the underground market — modeled on New Delhi’s iconic Palika Bazar — has already been taken over by over 25 distributors with none official allotment from the civic physique.
Palike Bazar, a high-tech and air-conditioned market, was opened to the general public in August 2024, six years after the civic physique introduced the venture.
| Photo Credit:
Special Arrangement
Built at a value of ₹13 crore, the market is designed to accommodate 79 stalls, together with 31 air-conditioned models.
| Photo Credit:
Special Arrangement
The air-conditioned underground market is modelled on the long-lasting Palika Bazar in New Delhi.
| Photo Credit:
Special Arrangement
Palike Bazar, a high-tech and air-conditioned market, was opened to the general public in August 2024, six years after the civic physique introduced the venture. Built at a value of ₹13 crore, the market is designed to accommodate 79 stalls, together with 31 air-conditioned models. However, simply six months after its inauguration, the market has grow to be a haven for at least 25 ‘unauthorised occupants’.
Anand, a avenue vendor on Vijayanagar Service Road (Ward 123), instructed The Hindu, “We have been waiting for the BBMP to allocate space to vendors operating on the service road for decades. I have been running my business here for over 30 years. In 2021, the BBMP conducted a survey and identified 30 vendors, but none were allotted space in the underground market.” He additional identified that the distributors presently working contained in the market are from exterior the Vijayanagar space, and that none of them had stalls on the service highway or in close by places.
Documents accessed by The Hindu reveal that in January this yr, the Zonal Commissioner (South) wrote to the Executive Engineer (EE), directing the initiation of a young course of for auctioning the market areas. However, even after two months, no public sale has been held.
‘Our presence is legitimate’
The distributors occupying the market declare that their presence isn’t unauthorised, as native BBMP officers permitted them to function.
Ramesh S., a vendor promoting greens and fruits, stated, “On the directions of local leaders, we obtained permission from the BBMP to set up our shops. There are over 25 of us in the market, and all have been allowed to vend.”
When requested in regards to the tender course of and lease funds, Mr. Ramesh responded, “I have not been informed by the BBMP about any tender, and I cannot disclose details about whom we are paying rent to.”
Call for eviction
S. Babu, from the Bengaluru Urban District Street Vendors’ Association, urged the BBMP to evict unauthorised distributors, warning that their continued presence might deny rightful distributors a possibility to safe area within the market.
“For nearly a kilometre along the service road, vendors have been doing business and demanding a dedicated space for years. Palike Bazar was built in response to their demands, so how can others suddenly set up shops here? The BBMP has turned a blind eye to this illegality. They must evict the unauthorised vendors and float a tender for proper allocation,” he stated.
A senior BBMP official acknowledged the issue, stating, “We have already instructed the zonal office to initiate the tender process. Once it begins, the civic body will take the necessary steps to evict illegal occupants from the market.”
Published – March 04, 2025 09:35 am IST
