Two years after opening, Vijayanagar’s underground air-conditioned bazaar still awaits vendors

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A view of the Krishna Devaraya Palike Bazaar at Vijayanagar in Bengaluru. | Photo Credit: SUDHAKARA JAIN

The Krishna Devaraya Palike Bazaar, the city’s first-of-its-kind underground air-conditioned market in West Bengaluru’s Vijayanagar, appears to have no light at the end of the tunnel, with vendors’ associations divided over occupying the shops, two years after its opening.

Modelled on Delhi’s Palika Bazaar, the underground market in the city was built at a cost of ₹13 crore and has 79 shops, several of which have air conditioning. It was inaugurated in August 2024.

Amid the uncertainty over the opening, the bazaar corridor wears a bleak look, with merely four or five shops operating inside. In several parts, the bazaar suffers from poor maintenance. | Photo Credit: SUDHAKARA JAIN

While the Bengaluru West City Corporation (BWCC) floated tenders twice to conduct auctions for the underground shops, no street vendors expressed interest in participating, citing high rents and fears of a complete fall in business.

K.V. Rajendra, commissioner of BWCC, told The Hindu that he has set a deadline of September 10 for floating tenders and moving the vendors to the underground units.

While the BWCC floated tenders twice to conduct auctions for the underground shops, no street vendors expressed interest in participating, citing high rents and fears of a complete fall in business. | Photo Credit: SUDHAKARA JAIN

However, it won’t be an easy task. Outside the underground facility, along the service stretch of Chord Road, over 120 street vendors have been vending for more than 500 metres. Among them, nearly 70 belong to the Vijayanagara Paadachari Hannu Matthu Tarakari Vyaparigala Kshembhivriddi Sangha, while nearly 30 vendors belong to the Karnataka Pragatipara Beedibadi Vyaparigala Sanghatane (KPBVS). Now, both associations are divided over moving into the underground facility.

Nanjunda B.R., a member of the first association, said many members of their association are ready to move, but unless the other vendors outside the facility are cleared, businesses underground will not pick up. “Customers won’t climb down to buy items when they have shops along the stretch. How can we do business like that and pay rents as well?” he questioned, adding that if the outside vendors are shifted, they are ready to move.

S. Babu, president of KPBVS, told The Hindu that rents are higher for the underground shops and many of them leak during rain, making the move inconvenient. “Street vendors earn very less and have their own commitments. Asking them to pay rents won’t be helpful. If the BWCC is ready to give a lease for 25 years, then we can move inside,” he said.

He also noted that the vendors sitting outside cannot be evicted, as there is a stay order from the court. “The court has allowed us to vend along the stretch while clearly directing us to move the carts to different places after business hours.