Residents and shop-keepers had apprehensions about the redevelopment of Gandhi Bazaar Main Road in Bengaluru.
| Photo Credit: Bhagya Prakash K
Parking on either side of the now narrow Gandhi Bazaar Main Road in Bengaluru is further adding to the chaos, causing traffic snarls every day. Commuters and shoppers have to wait longer for relief from this everyday ordeal as the Multi Level Car Parking (MLCP) being built in place of the old Gandhi Bazaar market is expected to be completed only by this year end, if not later.
Bengaluru Smart City Limited had issued work orders for the MLCP, along with widening of footpaths and pedestrianisation of a stretch of Gandhi Bazaar Main Road, in 2022. Even as the footpaths of Gandhi Bazaar Main Road have been widened, developed under the TenderSURE model, and the road paved with cobblestones, like Church Street, the government of Karnataka seems to have given up plans on pedestrianisation and creating specialised vending zones due to opposition from locals.
MLCP project inordinately delayed
The MLCP project was challenged in the High Court of Karnataka. Once that hurdle was cleared, work orders were issued again in October 2023 with a deadline of 12 months.
The project includes a market in the basement and ground floor with 48 shops to accommodate vendors who had shops in the old Gandhi Bazaar market, and four floors above for car parking at a cost of ₹18.75 crore. The MLCP can accommodate 142 cars, sources said. Work on the first floor is in progress.
However, the local BJP MLA Uday Garudachar told The Hindu that completion of the project by year-end is subject to timely release of funds by the government of Karnataka. Sources in the know said the project may be completed by mid-2025.
“Ideally, the width of the carriageway of the road now is insufficient. Moreover, MLCP should have been completed before the carriageway was reduced. Now that the parking facility is getting inordinately delayed, the already narrow road is being crowded by parking, adding to the woes of the public,” said a senior traffic official from the area, adding that once the MLCP becomes operational, the pressure on the road would reduce.
Residents still concerned over project
As per the present design, vehicles seeking parking at the MLCP will enter the facility from the Gandhi Bazaar Main Road and exit through the H. B. Samaja Road, a narrow road that is only 20 feet wide.
“During the public consultation, many residents and shopkeepers of the area had not only raised concerns and opposed the exit on H. B. Samaja Road, but had also given alternate exit routes planned by architects. However, the government is adamant on an exit to the MLCP on the same narrow road, which will be choked,” said N. S. Mukunda of Bengaluru Praja Vedike, who has been a prominent local voice against the redevelopment of Gandhi Bazaar Main Road.
Narrow carriageway
The width of the carriageway of the Gandhi Bazaar Main Road has now reduced to 30 feet, causing traffic pile ups. Since it is a traditional market hub, shoppers now park vehicles on either side of the narrow road, much beyond the parking bays causing traffic snarls.
Earlier, even BMTC buses used to ply on this road, But now, they have been diverted. Bengaluru Traffic Police have raised red flags over the reduced carriageway, even raising concerns of hurdles for rescue vehicles like, fire engines and ambulances, on the road.
“Gandhi Bazaar Main Road has lost its earlier charm and shopping there is no longer convenient. Many of us, residents of areas around Gandhi Bazaar, including me, have stopped going there now. Even if we go, we never take our vehicles, as there is no parking facility. The only solution to fix the road is to widen the carriageway of the road to at least 40 feet,” Mr. Mukunda said.
