Vendors to be shifted from outside busy markets

Some vendors are likely to be shifted from bustling business hubs like KR Market and Kalasipalya in line with the recommendation of the Covid-19 Technical Advisory Committee.

On Tuesday, Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai instructed the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) to decongest market spaces as suggested by the committee.

The vendors are likely to be shifted to open spaces within a one-kilometre radius of the market.

BBMP Chief Commissioner Gaurav Gupta said: "We have observed that markets in the city are seeing high footfall and there is an urgent need to ensure social distancing at these places. As we know, all our major markets are congested, so we have decided to shift some of the vendors to adjacent lanes or open spaces close to the markets. We will seek the police help for this."

Gupta, however, promised that any decision on shifting the vendors would be made only after holding talks with them and taking them into confidence.

"We will ensure that they are shifted to a place within a radius of 0.5 km to 1 km from the main market so that their business prospects are not affected," he added.

Dr Deepak R L, Special Commissioner (Markets), BBMP, held a meeting with traders' associations and other stakeholders on Wednesday. "We discussed ways to decongest the markets. We will consider their suggestions and come up with a plan," he said.

Sources in the BBMP said that the priority would be to decongest the KR Market and the Kalasipalya market because these places see high footfall on a daily basis.

"We have started to identify the places around these markets where the vendors can be shifted," an official said.

This apart, the BBMP is also planning to stagger the shopping timings at these markets.

"It's a challenge to decongest these markets without affecting the supply chain. For now, we are planning to shift the vendors who operate outside the main market to the surrounding areas to ensure a uniform spread," an official said.

As for vendors who have shops inside the market, the BBMP plans to implement staggered timings so that a limited number of them operate at any given point in time.