Gandhi Bazaar main road to open by October end; traders still unhappy

'We suffered a severe loss in business when the road was closed down. Now, we do not have space to even unload items from goods vehicles. If we park the vehicles, the traffic will be affected,' a trader said.

Nearly a year after the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) started work on revamping the Gandhi Bazaar Main Road, the project is finally nearing completion. According to BBMP officials, the road will be open to the public by October-end.

“We have completed 90 per cent of the work on the stretch. We have ordered special light poles to enhance the aesthetics of the street. The street will be open to the public by the end of October,” said Vinayak Sugur, BBMP Chief Engineer (Projects).

However, the traders on the stretch who suffered a beating owing to a loss of business are unhappy with the BBMP’s works. The BBMP has drastically reduced the width of the road and increased the width of the pedestrian path, they complain.

“Earlier, there were lay-by areas where commuters could stop and buy items from the street vendors. Now, with no lay-by areas and parking space, the vendors and traders on the street will suffer,” said Arun Adiga, owner of Vidyarthi Bhavan.

Yet another trader on the stretch pointed out that the reduced width will only result in traffic congestion and more problems for traders.

“We suffered a severe loss in business when the road was closed down. Now, we do not have space to even unload items from goods vehicles. If we park the vehicles, the traffic will be affected. If there is a traffic jam, no commuter will navigate through to buy goods from vendors,” said Gopinath, a flower vendor on the street.

The BBMP, however, maintained that the road was planned scientifically. “There are town planning rules and designs we should adhere to. We have ensured that the road is scientific,” Sugur said.