Market Tales: Abandoned midway, redevelopment of Jayanagar market hangs in a balance

The redevelopment of the Jayanagar market, taken up following a fire accident in 2009, has been abandoned half way for years now, amid vendors refusing to vacate their shops in the old building.

Bangalore Development Authority (BDA), which was tasked with the job, developed one of the proposed four towers, stalled the project midway and returned it to the newly formed Bengaluru South City Corporation (BSCC).

Stalemate 

Responding to a question raised by Jayanagar BJP MLA C.K. Ramamurthy in the ongoing Karnataka Legislature Session, Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar, who holds charge of the BDA, said that the BDA and the BSCC will have to jointly take a call on the future of the project.

“The question of levying a penalty on the contractor for not finishing the project doesn’t arise, as the shops were not vacated and handed over to the firm,” he said.

Speaking to The Hindu, Mr. Ramamurthy demanded that the government complete the project and redevelop the remaining three towers.

“If the government doesn’t have money, it can explore options like Public Private Partnership,” he said. “The redevelopment of the remaining towers is the need of the hour. Parts of the market were destroyed in the fire and now the abandoned ones have become a den for anti-social activities like drug abuse, etc. There was even a murder there,” he said.

Diverse plans and demands

However, both traders in the Jayanagar market and the BSCC seem to have diverse plans for its future.

Jayaram B.K., a member of Jayanagar Traders’ Association, who had a vegetable shop in the old market which was gutted in the 2009 fire, has now been allotted a shop on the first floor of the redeveloped tower one. “The tower has six floors. There is absolutely no business even on the first floor. Our previous shops were 140 sq. ft; the new shop we have been allotted is a mere 60 sq. ft. How can we do business here? Our business has dropped sharply,” he said.

When The Hindu visited the market, shops had been allotted for two floors, but all shops on the second floor were closed. Even the stairs to the third floor were barricaded. Nobody occupies shops on floors three to six.

“The old market that was gutted in the 2009 fire is lying abandoned. The civic body’s own structural engineers have given reports that the building is safe. When shops on the second to sixth floor of the developed tower lie abandoned, how can the government go ahead and develop the other three towers? Their fate will also be the same and cause losses to the civic body. We have been demanding that the old building be renovated and shops allotted,” he said.

However, K.N. Ramesh, Commissioner, BSCC, said the corporation was now awarding shops and spaces on the third to sixth floors of tower one, to private firms for offices. “We are in talks with the BDA to understand the ongoing arbitration with the previous contractor. We may either develop the remaining towers ourselves, or use the space to build the new office of the BSCC,” he said.

The newly formed BSCC has sought land in Banashankari for its new office. “However, the Revenue Department had already allotted this land to other departments, but it lies undeveloped. The land has to be taken back and reallotted to the BSCC. If this doesn’t fructify, we are thinking of using the remaining Jayanagar market land to build our new office,” Mr. Ramesh said.