The bustling Gandhi Bazaar in Bengaluru's Basavanagudi was brought to a standstill on Tuesday, May 2, as numerous traders and business owners closed their shops to protest the ongoing redevelopment work conducted by Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP). The BBMP is planning to turn the stretch into a one-way street, which will force shoppers to park their vehicles almost a kilometer away and walk, affecting their business. Nearly 500 shops, including popular food joints, remained closed as part of the strike. Meanwhile, the Directorate of Urban Land Transport (DULT)'s proposal to make Gandhi Bazaar a vehicle-free, pedestrian zone has also drawn flak from traders and residents alike.
The traders allege that as part of the redevelopment work, the BBMP has reduced the 40-feet wide road to around 20 feet, causing difficulties for traders, residents, and shoppers. The road should have been widened instead of narrowed as the number of vehicles using the road has increased, they said. They also expressed concerns about street vendors and how the changes would affect their business, adding that footpaths should be free of any obstruction so that pedestrians can walk easily.
According to media reports, authorities have also informed local residents that vehicles on the stretch will be allowed only between 9 pm and 7 am. However, senior officials have not clarified the functionality of the new road, and the traders have reached out to BBMP multiple times for the tender document and DPR of the project but have allegedly only been misled.
Meanwhile, members of Heritage Basavanagudi Resident Welfare Forum and Basavanagudi Traders Association have also expressed their concerns about white-topping and tree-felling on the stretch. The white topping work on Gandhi Bazaar Main Road had come under scrutiny after 80 avenue trees on the one-km-long stretch were found to be damaged. According to Bangalore Mirror, a tree assessment conducted by the residents of the area a couple of months ago showed that all the avenue trees on the stretch are prone to falling due to extensive root damage caused by the construction work. Demanding immediate action against BBMP and DULT officials, contractors, and architects concerned, the association approached MLAs, MPs, other officials, and the Chief Minister, but their requests were not taken into consideration, The Hindu reported.