As new Cox Town market prepares to open, vendors voice lingering concerns

Bengaluru: The long-pending market building in Cox Town is finally set to launch on January 17, although vendors expressed mixed views after the prolonged wait.

While meat vendors are happy and eager to start business in the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike’s (BBMP) new building for the market, some vegetable vendors are concerned that their already dwindling business may suffer further. They fear that moving from the streets into designated rooms inside the new market will reduce their visibility to passersby.

The vendors on MM Road, popularly known as Cox Town Market, have been established there for nearly 70 years. They were initially relocated to MM Road as the original building was old and considered risky.

However, the construction of a new facility experienced significant delays, forcing the vendors to operate from the streets since 2003.

Delay in providing space 

Despite the construction of a new building, crucial infrastructure issues led to further delays in providing the required space for their businesses.

Saleem Ahmed, a mutton vendor on MM Road, said that moving to the newly constructed market would improve businesses as the space would be more hygienic. According to Saleem, having designated infrastructure for business will attract a higher number of customers.

However, in contrast, Sharavanan, a vegetable vendor, noted that people on two-wheelers and four-wheelers often stop by when they see fresh vegetables on the roadside. ‘They park for a while just for vegetable shopping. But the new market doesn’t seem to have a designated parking facility. With so many apps to buy vegetables online, why would people stop if they don’t see fresh vegetables on the roadside anymore?’ he said.

Another vendor mentioned that although the new building has more shops, the BBMP has invited new vendors before allotting shops to the existing vendors.

More vendors invited 

When DH enquired with a BBMP official, he stated that shop allocation would be finalised after the official inauguration of the market building on January 17. Upon being asked about the rent vendors would need to pay after moving into the new space, Chief Commissioner of BBMP, Tushar Girinath, told DH, ‘Actually, our model usually requires auctioning, but in this case, the first round is to accommodate the vendors who have been there for a long time. They will be prioritized during the shop allotment process and will have to pay rent as stipulated by the BBMP lease rules. I am not exactly sure how much it is.’ He added that the auction process would apply to the new vendors.

Mahadevi, the security guard at the new market building, expressed concerns that once business operations begin after the market’s launch on January 17, she might not have a designated space, despite being responsible for maintaining the market’s premises. Having served as the security guard of the building for 14 years, she emphasized that a space to rest after cleaning the market is crucial.

Vendors will have to pay the rent as notified in the BBMP lease rules.