BENGALURU: After a gap of five months, the city retail and wholesale hubs -- KR Market and Kalasipalya-- will open for customers from Tuesday. They continue to function until the alternative facility at Singena Agrahara in Anekal is fully ready. BBMP Commissioner N Manjunath Prasad and other BBMP officials visited both the markets and instructed traders to open their businesses, but on the condition that if any Covid norms are violated or coronavirus cases reported, the markets would be shut again.
The officials ensured that all measures are in place and markings are painted for customers to queue up in front of shops. Both the markets have been sanitised and disinfected, and 15 marshals placed at each market to ensure social distancing norms are maintained, solid waste management rules are followed and hawkers don’t enter. To ensure quick testing and round-the-clock medical assistance, two health centres have been set up, said Ravindra, Joint Commissioner, markets, BBMP.
The Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) had to roll back its earlier decision of permanently closing and shifting the Kalasipalya market to Singena Agrahara after traders requested the government against it, citing logistic and transportation problems. Manjunath Prasad is firm that the two markets would be moved out of the city centre once Singena Agrahara is ready.
The task of putting up necessary infrastructure at the 42.5-acre facility has been assigned to the Agricultural Produce Marketing Committee (APMC), which has sought two years’ time. APMC Director Karee Gowda told TNIE, “We have been told by the BBMP to create the space at the earliest so that KR and Kalasipalya markets can be shifted out from Bengaluru. Creating the entire infrastructure will cost Rs 100 crore and land acquisition alone will take up around Rs 50-60 crore. The proposal for land acquisition has been sent to the government for approval.”
To ensure that markets remain safe, traders at Kalasipalya are now deciding on the timings for the entry of trucks for loading and unloading. “A timetable is being created for each shop, where trucks, tempos or autos assigned to each shop should come in at the slated time. The timetable will be shared with the government for approval. In the last five months, we have suffered losses of Rs 10 crore,” said R V Gopi, president, Vegetable and Fruit Merchants’ Association, Kalasipalya. There are 400 shops in Kalasipalya and 1,200 in KR Market.
SOPs for Metro to be finalised today
Bengaluru: With the state government giving the green signal for resuming Metro train services from September 7, the SOPs to be followed will be finalised on Tuesday with the Ministry of Urban and Home Affairs. An official said, “The details will be spelt out by MoUHA in the Sept 1 meet. If they can be implemented soon, we will be in a position to start services on September 7. If not, we will resume after the SOPs are put in place.”