Bengaluru’s old markets: Grand redevelopment and harsh business realities

Sipping a cup of hot filter coffee, 32-year-old Arun Kumar wears a faraway and worried look. Braving the stench of urine that fills the air, he carries his coffee up the stairs littered with paper cups and plastic bags. There is no missing the gutka stains on the walls all along.

Mr. Kumar’s day begins like this, as he gets set to open his small textile shop at the Bangalore Development Authority (BDA) complex in Jayanagar 4th block in south Bengaluru.

About five years back, when Mr. Kumar moved in here, his hope was high. Now he is contemplating moving out, owing to poor business. The complex, which has six floors with parking in the basement, was opened in October 2017.  But clearly, the once-buzzing-with-life marketplace in the heart of Jayanagar, is now not even a shadow of its old self.

The structure was built after demolishing Puttanna Kanagal Theatre at a cost of ₹57 crore. The building has 55 shops on the basement, ground floor and first floor. The space on the upper floors are near-empty, causing revenue losses to the BBMP, and giving the structure a deserted look.

Abandoned halfway

The initial plan proposed demolishing the 45-year-old shopping complex, including the Puttana Kanagal Theatre, to construct four modern towers featuring multiplex, multi-level parking, and a commercial hub. The old complex was gutted in 2008. In October 2010, the property was transferred to the BDA for redevelopment. However, after completing one block, the BDA washed its hands of and returned the property to the BBMP.

The old buildings at the location have not been demolished as planned by the BBMP. They lie abandoned and have turned into a den of illegal activities. Ever since a portion of this building was gutted, it is in a state of total neglect.

“In the beginning, for at least a year into inauguration, the complex saw business. The customers were keen on coming inside. After about a year, the footfall started to dwindle. We were making a business of ₹25,000 to ₹30,000 every day and now we barely cross ₹7,000. The complex has miserably failed in serving the purpose,” said Mr. Kumar. “I am now pondering shifting out of the building.”

Santosh N., who runs a pooja material store, said the shopkeepers in 2022 pooled money to repaint the walls stained with gutka. As there is no security and maintenance, in the night, miscreants sat inside the complex, drank, and threw away the bottles. With business volume falling, the shops on the first floor open only after 11 a.m. Mr. Santosh said the people visiting the fourth block make purchases from the stores located on the streets, and several street vendors, who were allotted slots in the complex, are using them only as godown.

This so-called redeveloped market is not an isolated case. Though the state of neglect may vary, nearly all of them are testimony to how the traditional markets, which were shopping hubs for decades and were redeveloped to make them on a par with malls, have failed. Vendors’ experience shows consumers have little interest in walking into the shops inside the building. But the authorities are in no mood to rethink the model.

Once a stable

Rising from the grounds of a Persian trader’s old stable, Johnson Market has been a landmark in Bengaluru since 1929. Once known as Richmond Town Market, this historic bazaar was later named after a British civil servant. Over the decades, it had transformed into a melting pot of cultures, flavours, and stories, standing as a testament to the city’s colonial past.

Johnson Market in Bengaluru.
| Photo Credit:
SUDHAKARA JAIN

The market is now crying for attention with the ceiling cracked, walls broken, and garbage dumped everywhere. Mohammad Nazir, who has a grocery shop here, said, “This market has failed to keep pace with the changing city. It has a heritage sheen but no urban glamour to attract customers. Even after the market was given a minor facelift, it failed to attract customers.” Mr. Nazir’s grandfather was also vending at this market.

Although there are 72 shops in the building, only 25 are functional, and those on the outside have reasonable business. The space inside has been turned into storage facilities. The vegetable vendors have tied up with hotels that source vegetables and fruits from bigger markets in the early hours and keep them here for the hoteliers to pick up, Mr. Nazir said. “People now have many avenues that have better facilities and in better condition. They prefer swanky places. Unless the market is renovated while retaining heritage value, the footfall will continue to dwindle,” he said.

Nine-year wait

At Malleswaram, on Sampige Main Road, vendors say moving into a 5+2 floor market building after work completion is not something they look forward to. Shanmugam, a fruit vendor who has been running his stall for 45 years, said, such an experiment in Gandhi Bazar failed to yield the desired results. More importantly, the vendors have lost interest as the project that commenced nine years back is dragging on. Every year, the BDA promises completion in six months but nothing materialises.

Malleswaram Market in Bengaluru.
| Photo Credit:
SUDHAKARA JAIN

The building under construction has the space to house 181 shops but the vendors have realised that shifting would hit business hard. To purchase a banana for ₹20, will consumers enter this complex as they have to pay ₹50 parking fee, store owners ask. “Even regular customers will stop coming because of the additional money they have to shell out. However, we are left with no choice but to occupy as otherwise we will be vacated from the existing place,” he rued.

A senior BDA official claimed the building is “nearing completion.” He exuded confidence that there would be a mall above the ground floor and this would definitely attract the customers.

Earliest structure

In 1998, the new K.R. Market was built after demolishing an old building that had been standing since 1928. The first such complex built in Bengaluru, it has also failed to deliver. Ever since it was rebuilt, 1 lakh square feet is yet to be occupied. The building has an underground basement, upper basement and two floors.

K.R. Market in Bengaluru.
| Photo Credit:
SUDHAKARA JAIN

G.M. Divakar, president of the Flower Merchants’ Association, said on the upper basement floor, there are 22 shops functioning and on the first and second, there are hardly any. Access to the market is a challenge. The visitors either have to drive through Avenue Road or Mysuru Road which are infamous for traffic snarls. The consumers travelling on the metro have to deboard at Chickpet and walk. The poor access is keeping people away from this market and hence the vendors are left with no choice but to carry out business on the streets. Many shops in this building too have become storage areas.

In 2017-18, under the smart city project, nearly ₹50 crore was allocated for redevelopment. To date, no work has been done. He alleged that this was “one of the biggest scams” related to markets in the city.

Charming streets

In Gandhi Bazaar, a few decades back, the BBMP developed a structure in front of the famed Vidyarthi Bhavan as a space that can house fruit, vegetable and flower vendors who now do their business on the main road. But it has now turned into a warehouse and a space to dump waste. The vendors are still on the streets. They say they will incur losses if they move in.

Shankar, who has a shop in the building and pays rent to the BBMP, said, “The charm of Gandhi Bazaar is street vendors. Confining them to closed rooms takes away the flavour of the place. Initially, we agreed to set up business inside the market. As months passed, we realised that this kind of business ecosystem does not work for us.”

The old market complex at the Gandhi Bazaar at Basavanagudi in Bengaluru.
| Photo Credit:
K. BHAGYA PRAKASH

With white-topping and infrastructure facelift, Shankar said the air of this old market has changed. “One should not try to change this traditional place along the lines of Church Street. The Church Street has a different feel and crowd. Gandhi Bazar’ gradual change has affected the vendors,” he claimed.

Palike Bazaar

On the other hand, the BBMP has also been experimenting with other kinds of marketplaces an example of which is Bengaluru’s first underground market Palike Bazaar in Vijayanagar. It emulates the Delhi model, but has not done as well as expected, say vendors in Vijayanagar. After years of delay, the market, developed at the cost of ₹8 crore, was inaugurated in 2024 by Chief Minister Siddaramaiah.

S. Babu, President Karnataka Pragati Para Beedi Vyaparigala Sangha, talking to The Hindu said this January, the Executive Engineer received a letter from the South Zonal Commissioner for calling a tender to house vendors. “The irony is that already about 40 people have occupied the shops. They are unauthorised. Among these, there are people who are doing real estate businesses too. Now the BBMP has the task of vacating them from the place. The actual vendors in the area are in for a long battle to register their names,” he said.

This apart, the vendors now also feel that going underground from the streets will hamper the business. In a city like Bengaluru, which is riddled with traffic issues, the citizens want quick access to shops. Ideally, vending on the streets, without hampering traffic or pedestrians, is a win-win situation for both vendors and customers. Not all are comfortable walking into dedicated buildings, and underground markets, said Babu. This Palike Bazaar, like any other redeveloped, renovated market, will turn into a warehouse, he feared.

Redevelopment continues

Despite the examples of failure, the BBMP continues with its revamping efforts. It wants to redevelop Russel Market and build a complex at K.R. Puram. A senior BBMP official said citing some setbacks, projects cannot be scrapped. For instance, Banashankari BDA Complex is still thriving, he pointed out. In other areas also, people will visit if the vendors continue the business instead of coming back on streets without waiting for shopping habits to form and business to pick up.

The official pointed out that people visiting malls, paying high fees, countering vendors’ claim that paid parking discourages consumers. “It’s about incorporating a new culture among the citizens. For this to happen, the vendors have to display some patience and endure some losses. After a while, business will come back to normal. In the city, where space is shrinking, designated buildings for vending will become a mandate. The vendors have to keep up with the evolving times instead of clinging to archaic practices,” he said.