Hundreds of vendors temporarily occupy the space outside the Krishnarajendra Market (K.R. Market) now, barely three months after the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) cleared structures that had encroached upon common areas.
The BBMP’s action followed a rap from the High Court of Karnataka, which had said it would not hesitate to order closure of the market if the fire safety guidelines were not followed. Subsequently in March, the civic body demarcated the common areas and cleared encroachments to enable easy movement of fire tenders in case of an emergency.
The Department of Fire and Emergency Services had asked the BBMP to ensure that eight metres of the approach roads should be free of encroachments.
The BBMP has managed to maintain the demarcated space inside the market. Outside the market, however, hundreds of vendors can be seen selling, mainly vegetables and fruits, occupying the concrete road, between the old market building and the new one.
Rajappa, a vegetable vendor, said, “This is one of the largest markets in the State with thousands of vendors and lakhs of people coming every day. Hence, there will always be irregularities and problems.”
G.M. Divakar, president of the K.R. Market Flower Merchants’ Association, said there are around 21 illegal shops, which the court has said should be demolished. “However, this has not been done,” he said.
He pointed out to other problems, such as lack of proper ventilation and basic facilities like drinking water and toilets, apart from fire safety issues.
Trade licence
At the time of the encroachment clearance drive, fewer than 2% of the vendors had trade licence, which was causing huge revenue loss to the BBMP, with the dues running up to ₹17 crore.
As on March 31, of the 2,021 shops in the market, only 39 had trade licence, but the number is said to have gone up since then. The BBMP had urged Bangalore Electricity Supply Company (Bescom) to not restore power supply until shopkeepers got a no- objection certificate (NOC) from it. Following this, shopkeepers who approached the BBMP for an NOC were made to apply for trade licence, and the NOCs were given only after the dues were cleared.
BBMP Commissioner N. Manjunath Prasad said they have not allowed any permanent structure to be built, both inside the market and on the roads outside. “In case of any emergency, the temporary settlements can be immediately evacuated,” he said.
