BENGALURU: Old city or the Pete area, one of Asia’s biggest commercial hubs, is still a one-stop shop for many: shops here sell about everything you need at cheap prices. The area was demarcated over 500 years ago during Kempegowda’s time. It comprises Chickpet, Doddapet (Avenue Road), Balepet, Mamulpet, Ganigarapet, Sulthanpet among others. With narrow congested roads, multi-storied complexes, houses and over one lakh shops, safety has no place here. Monday’s building collapse that killed seven people in Ejipura brings to fore the issue of the safety of buildings in the city. However, for traders in this area, safety measures are a distant thought. The area is congested.
]Narrow roads are occupied by twowheelers with piles of books and other wares taking over footpaths. “These lanes cannot be widened. If any fire accident or building collapse takes place, fire engines and ambulances would have to stop 30 feet away from our shops,” R K Kumar, who owns a papermart shop in Ganigarapet, said. “There is no scope for road-widening, who will give the space for it? For us, our livelihood matters more than wider roads,” Kumar added.
Traders and officials are equally responsible for the uncontrolled growth, said a trader. The roads are not meant for buildings over two storeys high. But today, there are many multi-storey buildings, some going up to even six floors. V Rajesh, a realtor, said that land prices in the area have touched the sky. He said that 15 years ago, the price of land here was `7,000 to `8,000 per square foot. “It has now touched `1 lakh per sqft in Kumbarpet, Sulthanpet and at BVK Iyengar Road, while at Nagarthpet it is `60,000 per sqft. At other places, it varies from `35,000 to `45,000 per sqft.
The rent of a shop can be as high as `1 lakh,’’ he said. Sources in BBMP said that the exorbitant real estate rates is one of the main reasons for the growth of illegal constructions. “People buy a small patch of land for crores. However, considering the width of roads here, as per the Karnataka Municipal Corporation (KMC) Act, BBMP can permit ground plus one storey. In some lanes, it is ground plus two storeys. But owners here take permission for ground plus two, but end up constructing ground plus three storeys or even six floors. Unfortunately, our engineers are hand in glove,’’ sources said.
A L Shivakumar, former councillor of Chickpet ward, said about 15 lakh people, including the floating population, can be seen at any given time. He said: “It is risky for people living here. When we come across old and weak buildings in the narrow lanes, we alert engineers who will in turn issue notices to the owners. Many owners do not bother,’’ he said.
Nawab, who runs a goods auto, said many buildings on MMR Lane (near SJP Road) need urgent repairs. It is common for pieces of cement from the walls and the ceiling falling on people. But the owners do not want to move out and don’t mind taking the risk, he said. Asked how an ambulance or fire engine can enter such narrow roads, he said they move out their vehicles and make way for these.
30-feet roads ideal
Ravi, a fire officer, said they have big and small vehicles to deal with different roads.
“Ideally, if the road is 30 feet wide, it would be easy for us to take our vehicle inside. If we
cannot get close to the building, we use longpipes to douse the fire,” he said.