JOIN USThe Bangalore Development Authority (BDA) has stopped construction on temporary shops beside the Malleswaram Old Market on Sampige Road, bringing a sigh of relief to traders who have opposed a swanky mall on the site.
More than 15 temporary shops built by the BDA were locked up and the work stopped around 4 pm on Monday, shop vendors said. Some of them said that the action followed a letter by the former Chairman of the Legislative Council and KPCC Vice President, B L Shankar, to Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on July 19.
Shankar had sought Siddaramaiah’s intervention in stopping the construction of swanky mall in place of the Old Market. RTI activist B H Shivakumar said the chief minister did not respond to Shankar’s letter. The Speaker of the Legislative Assembly, Kagodu Thimmappa, obtained documents related to the Old Market eviction on July 29. Copies of Shankar’s letter were forwarded to the Bruhat Bangalore Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) and the BDA.
Meanwhile, the traders are just happy that their struggle has finally borne fruit. The Malleswaram Fruits and Vegetables Market Association Secretary, G Chandrashekhar, said that all the 20-odd construction workers had left the place.
He alleged that the shops were being built “very unscientifically and in a haphazard way”. The BDA “flouted” the High Court order by building shops on storm water drains, he maintained.
The BDA Engineer Member, P N Nayak, however, said the agency had not received any letter. He refused to comment on the matter further, saying it was sub judice. He also refused to confirm whether work would resume in coming days.