Hundreds of traders and merchants from various markets that fall under the purview of the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) visited the civic body’s head office on Thursday to share their objections to eviction notices that some of them had received. However, they were unable to meet either civic Commissioner B.H. Anil Kumar or Mayor M. Goutham Kumar, and instead submitted a memorandum to Vrushabendra Murthy, Special Commissioner (Markets), BBMP.
Earlier this week, several traders in K.R. Market and Kalasipalya market received eviction notices dated November 4. They were given 15 days, from the time the notice was received, to vacate their shops, failing which the BBMP would take possession of the premises.
Mohammed Idrees Choudhury, general secretary of Russell Market Traders’ Association, said the BBMP, instead of evicting illegal vendors, is issuing notices to shopkeepers who were allotted shops. “We have been paying rent to the BBMP regularly,” he said.
Repeated attempts to contact BBMP’s Special Commissioner (Markets) Vrushabendra Murthy went in vain.
The traders, some of who are members of the Federation of Karnataka Chambers of Commerce and Industry, will meet again on Friday. They have been given an appointment with Mr. Anil Kumar on Saturday, following which they will decide on the next course of action.
