New Ganganagar market stands empty as vendors refuse to move in
A newly constructed fruit and vegetable market built by the State Government and the Bengaluru North City Corporation (BNCC) on 5th Main Road in Ganganagar, Bengaluru, has been left abandoned. Designed to accommodate 75 street vendors and clear local footpaths and roads of encroachments, the market has instead found no takers. The empty space is now being used to dump broken pushcarts, store firewood, and cook biryani.
Local street vendors have refused to relocate to the new facility, citing a complete lack of basic amenities. A vendor who has been selling fruits in the area for 30 years explained that the authorities allotted him a space, but failed to provide electricity, water, shade, or a roof. He added that because one side of the market is closed, the authorities need to create a rear entrance to make the facility functional.
Another vendor, speaking on condition of anonymity, noted that a nearby hotel has been using the empty market space to cook non-vegetarian food. The vendor stated that this has become a nuisance, especially for vegetarian sellers who do not want to operate in the vicinity.
Allotment irregularities have also fueled the vendors' refusal to move. Narayanaswamy M, the president of the Bengaluru North Street Vendors’ Association, alleged that the authorities allotted prime spaces at the entrance of the market to politicians and local leaders instead of actual street vendors. He announced plans to meet with MLA Byrathi Suresh to discuss the situation.
The Ganganagar project joins a growing list of failed and abandoned market relocation initiatives in Bengaluru. In Jogupalya, a market built by the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) to clear footpaths on Jogupalya Main Road was rejected by vendors, and politicians ultimately directed authorities not to force the relocation. Attempts to move flower vendors there also failed.
Similarly, a row of shops built for street vendors in Murphy Town, funded by CV Raman Nagar MLA S Raghu, remained locked and vacant for a long period. In Cox Town, it took the civic body two decades to complete a market building, during which time vendors continued to operate on the footpaths while the BBMP collected rent.
