They haven't been given alternative place to operate from.
The BBMP’s mission demolition at KR Market on Monday night has cast shadow over the future of hundreds of vendors who make a living selling fruits at the marketplace.
The BBMP on Monday night removed an iron grill and fence from a footpath on the market premises, making the place out of bounds for vendors who had been selling fruits from there for years. They allege that the Palike has not arranged any alternative place for them to sell fruits from, which is what sends a shiver down their spine.
One of the vendors, A Murthy, underlined that hundreds of families depend on the place for their livelihood. He said the vendors would meet mayor BS Satyanarayana on Thursday and request him not to evict them. Another vendor, Ali Jan, said he has been selling fruits at the place for 25 years. He said the vendors have to grease the palms of the police and the BBMP staff to operate from there. He added that the Palike officers have not told them where they should go if they were to be evicted from KR Market.
Meanwhile, BBMP assistant executive engineer, Chamarajpet division, issued notices to 17 shopkeepers of South West Corner Newly Constructed Shops (SWCNCS), asking them to vacate the premises. The notice states that the place needs repair. Even these shopkeepers say they haven’t been told where they will be relocated, if at all. One of them, BS Mahesh, said they are ready to vacate the space for repairs, but the Palike should provide them with a space to operate from. The shop owners have approached the court for justice and sought an assessment of the building from a private company.
Why demolition
By removing the fence and the shops from the footpath, the BBMP plans to make a ramp there that will lead to the second and third floors of the shopping complex. The complex was built 15 years ago, but does not have many occupants. More than one lakh square feet of space is lying vacant as no one showed interest in setting up a shop or an office in the building, mainly owing to unhygienic surroundings.
However, the mayor denied that the BBMP plans to construct a ramp. He said the eviction drive was held to widen the road for easy movement of vehicles. He said no footpath vendor would be evicted from the premises and asked them not to heed rumours in this regard.
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