Bengaluru: Eighteen shops in Malleswaram market were demolished by the BBMP, much to the chagrin of shopkeepers.
The BBMP had issued eviction notices to the traders around five days ago. The demolition took place on Thursday morning, under police protection, despite opposition by traders.
The 2.08 acre market was slated to be developed jointly by the BBMP and the Bangalore Development Authority (BDA). Though the BDA has back tracked, the BBMP has gone ahead with the demolition. The demolition of the remaining shops has been put off till December 16.
BBMP officials said they went ahead with the demolition based on court directions. “The BDA has not confirmed to the BBMP that the market development project has been dropped. As per the agreement, the BBMP is responsible for evicting the traders, demolishing old shops and handing over the area to the BDA. The demolition may continue after December 16,” an official said.
Irate traders complained that though there were 241 shopkeepers, the BBMP had constructed only 87 new sheds. Another grouse is the sheds are so small that there is little standing room, which had an adverse affect on their business. Another complaint was the poor quality of the new sheds and lack of security.
