Rs 14 Crore Krishnadevaraya Palike Bazar Underground Market Remains Deserted

The Rs 14 crore Krishnadevaraya Palike Bazar, an air-conditioned underground market built to relocate street vendors in Bengaluru, remains largely vacant and deserted nearly two years after its official inauguration. Owned by the Bengaluru West City Corporation (BWCC), the subterranean facility in Vijayanagara was designed to clear footpaths, but planning failures have left its 79 shops mostly unoccupied.

The project has failed to generate revenue, leaving local footpaths blocked by petty shops and service roads congested with haphazardly parked vehicles. Pedestrians continue to face severe difficulties navigating the area due to the lack of progress in relocating the roadside traders.

The foundation stone for the underground market was laid on December 10, 2017, by local MLA M Krishnappa. Initially estimated to cost Rs 5 crore, the project was scheduled for completion within 18 months, by June 2019. However, the contractor failed to meet the deadline, completing only 60 per cent of the work within the stipulated period, which led to a final project cost of Rs 14 crore.

Currently, only four or five street vendors have been allotted shops in the complex. However, these vendors are using the rented spaces merely as storerooms for furniture, umbrellas, and other items, while continuing to conduct their daily business on the roadside.

Local street vendors claim the delay is due to administrative inaction. Manju, a vendor who has sold pooja items on the roadside for over 40 years, said the local MLA's office allotted him a shop 18 months ago, but the BWCC authorities have yet to fix the rent. Another vendor, Sanjay, who expects around 50 vendors to be relocated to the market, also confirmed that the authorities have not finalized the rental rates.

Social activist Veeresh BH has demanded that the BWCC authorities immediately relocate the vendors to the underground facility. Veeresh stated that he wrote to the authorities emphasizing the need to generate revenue and clear the footpaths along the service road. Additionally, Ramu T of the Vijayanagara Nagareeka Vedike urged the authorities to keep footpaths free from all encroachments and relocate vendors in accordance with court orders.