Bengaluru has a market problem

Bengaluru's markets form the lifeline for traditional trading involving perishable items, but they lack infrastructural support

Russel market, established in 1927 by the British and inaugurated in 1933, is named after T B Russell, the then Municipal Commissioner. Locals say the market is over 200 years old and was an open marketplace in the 1820s.

Located in the busy Shivajinagar area, Russel Market is overcrowded due to customers and vendors undertaking various wholesale and retail activities. It also results in the choking of roads, traffic congestion, and overcrowding. The facility is inadequate to meet the present-day requirements. It faced a fire incident in February 2012 that damaged parts of it.

A heritage building is the one that has passed 100 years. The building will complete 100 years in another two years. The Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP)  has now decided to “reconstruct” it at a cost of Rs 40 crore. It has floated a request for qualification (RFQ) to prepare the detailed project report and tender documents.

Curiously, the RFQ mentions nothing about the heritage status of the building. Instead, it mentions that the market was established in “about 1940” and is dilapidated. 

The document proposes to “reconstruct the market using modern green building concepts to improve space efficiency, traffic circulation, parking and waste management”.

“Russel Market RFQ omits the concept of restoration of the heritage building, which is concerning. They haven’t even asked conservation architects to be part of the team, though MLA has said they’ll restore the heritage building,” says Yashaswini Sharma, a Bengaluru-based architect.

“Conservation architects and urban designers need to be part of teams that restore and develop heritage markets,” she says.

Johnson Market

Johnson Market in Richmond Town is another heritage market that needs some attention from the BBMP. Established in 1929 on the land given by Sir Mirza Ismail, the commercial complex cries for attention.

Being close to the Pink Line metro (Gottigere-Nagawara), the land on which the market stands is considered a prime area. Naturally many people want to cash in on it. However, inside the market is a deserted passage with no electricity, people and vendors, especially in the evenings. Most vendors are located on the outside.

“Our MLA asked us to vacate the area seven years ago. We fought it in the court. The court gave the stay and stalled the evacuation. Every year BBMP sanctions money for temporary repairs and restoration, but no one knows where the money goes. We do not even have a proper toilet,” says Syed Zahiruddin, the secretary of Jorhnson’s Market Merchant Association.

“A few years ago, a tree fell on the building, damaging its parts. No one came to repair it; we did it on our own,” he explains. 

“Even in heavy rains, this area has stood out on its own, with not even a single leakage,” he adds. “We are fine with paying more rent to the BBMP, but the BBMP should take care of facilities,” he says.

K R Market

Established in 1928, K R Market Complex has many sections. It is the largest in the city with 1939 shops built in three sections, and has its own issues. Arun Kumar TG, a shopkeeper in the old K R Market (also called Mother Market because it is the first market built in 1928), highlights the problems.

“The land itself is in dispute. We have paid property taxes to the shops we own. My family ran the shop. But now, the government wants to acquire the land. It wants us to pay rent,” he says.

“The passage between Mother Market and the Mutton Market has illegal shops. It is closed to traffic and has become a dumping ground for fish and meat waste. It becomes a haven for rats and bandicoots, and we spend substantial money every year trying to fix it,” he adds.

What looks like the main market now was built later. It has three floors but is not perfect either. Lack of toilets and other basic amenities haunt the building. The area also has waste management and parking problems. 

“There is no proper system for garbage disposal. There is no proper garbage pick-up facility. Vendors have not been educated on how to dispose of their garbage either, which leads to huge problems,” Arun Kumar explains.

Festival seasons result in more footfalls and vendors selling flowers in the open. This makes more sense because it is easier for buyers and sellers to stand in the open and choose who to buy it from, says a vendor from K R Market. He says this is the essence of the market.

Incoherent plans

Meanwhile, the Bengaluru Smart City Limited project status documents show that works undertaken at K R Market and Meat Market, titled “Redevelopment of Historic Economic Centres” at a cost of Rs 44 crore in total, have been “completed”. 

The planned work involved constructing parking facilities, installing lifts, and constructing toilets, vending plazas and loading-unloading bays. 

The larger problem lies in the city not having a wholesome vision for developing markets, keeping their original nature in mind.

“We do not have a heritage management plan for heritage markets, which have their place in history,” Yashaswini says, highlighting the problem.

Sometimes, hereditary vendors (vendors who were granted leases from Maharaja or the rules in the pre-independence times) are neglected in all cases which can be a humanitarian concern, says Yashaswini.

Other markets

Meanwhile, even though the work began in 2013, Malleswaram Market on 11th Cross-Sampige Road junction is yet to be completed. This market had been around for more than 50 years when it was demolished. 

Again, located on a prominent Sampige Road, the market and the potential to develop a multi-storey complex on the land caught the imagination of the BBMP officials and local politicians. The plan was set in motion against much opposition, which ultimately withered away.

The vendors were given temporary shops, many of which were funded by various banks. The work is nearing completion after more than ten years. 

Today, many vendors are uncertain whether they will be given the shops in the newly develoed complex. 

Meanwhile, the makeshift shops inside a bylane remain closed as there are no footfalls for the vendors. Locals say many shops have been given to vested interests who want a piece of the pie in the developed multi-storey complex.

“There are waste management concerns that must be addressed in all markets. There should be room for informal markets to coexist with formal setup,” says Yashaswini, explaining the nuances of renovating markets.

Kalasipalyam Vegetable Market is a leading market in Bengaluru. Visitors complain that the market is not being maintained in a clean and hygienic condition. Similar is the condition of the Yeshwantpur market.

Sometimes, markets developed into commercial complexes end up becoming useless. Jayanagar Market is being criticised for being user-unfriendly and closed, unlike the market before.

A BBMP official said the central market department does not have the list of all the renovation works to be undertaken in each zone. The official said every zone will have the details, which should be collected individually.