BBMP plans more underground bazaars, vendors fear chilling losses

Bengaluru: Days after the opening of Bengaluru's first air-conditioned underground market — Palike Bazaar in Vijayanagar — the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) is planning to construct more such markets to accommodate street vendors.

Sources said the BBMP has been tasked with identifying suitable locations.

"In the coming days, we will pinpoint areas that can host these markets. Ideally, each site should have space for 50 to 60 vendors, and we must locate appropriate properties where underground markets can be developed. A survey will be conducted, and a proposal prepared soon,” a senior official said.

BBMP officials believe the city’s South Zone could offer several viable spots, where demand for such markets is expected to be high.

While the BBMP views these markets as a way to streamline street vending areas and free up footpaths for pedestrians, street vendors are pushing back against the move, arguing that relocating underground would harm their businesses.

"Most of our customers are pedestrians or two-wheeler riders who quickly stop to buy something. Underground markets won’t work for us because our customers don’t have the time to park and walk down to shop. Moving to these markets will only cause losses for street vendors," said Babu S, a member of the Bengaluru Urban District Street Vendors Federation and a vendor at Vijayanagar market.

Another vendor from the Palike Bazaar said that sales, most of the time, are driven by impulse purchases, with customers drawn to products they see as they pass by. Moving underground, they argued, would reduce this visibility and hurt sales.

Babu also mentioned that several vendors who have moved to the newly inaugurated underground market are already experiencing losses, and many are reluctant to make the shift, despite the BBMP's push to relocate all vendors to the new space.