BENGALURU: It has been 22 years since the BBMP market on M M Road, referred to popularly as Cox Town market, was shut for reconstruction work. While the building is complete, crucial infrastructure required to carry out daily business is yet to be put in place. Vendors who ran stalls in this 65-year-old market shifted their business outside a maternity hospital nearby, creating hygiene issues for the patients.
Chandrika Raju, president, Cox Town Residents’ Association head, said, “Power supply has not yet been provided for the rebuilt market. Sewage facilities too are yet to be put in place.”
The decision to rebuild the market was taken in 1999, and the shops were demolished in 2006. “Lack of funds delayed it in between. The market building was fully ready in 2020, but no handover has happened yet,” she said.
Murali Simhadri, president of the Eshanya Bengalurina Nagarika Kalayana Mahavedike, said, “The non-allotment of shops to vendors is posing both a health hazard as well as traffic issue. People park vehicles on the roads and buy from footpath shops, causing huge traffic snarls in the locality. Even fish is sold on footpaths. All this could have an impact on the health of patients and newborns.”
Moreover, an order by the High Court on this issue forbids conducting business on footpaths, but the BBMP is responsible for this violation now. K Muralidhar, Deputy Commissioner, Markets, said the BBMP Engineering Cell has still not handed over the market to his section, so that shops could be allotted. “Payment to the contractor who executed the work is pending, Bescom has not yet provided electricity and some construction work is also pending,” he said. BBMP Chief Commissioner Tushar Girinath said the issue would be sorted out at the earliest.