Gandhi Bazaar getting a makeover, but footpath vendors left high and dry

BENGALURU: Anyone who has been to South Bengaluru knows the charm that Gandhi Bazaar carries. The narrow roads, the over-lit jewellery and garment stores, countless people going up and down DVG Road and Gandhi Bazaar, and the iconic one-stop-shop for all puja items, Satish Store.

Barricades put up in Gandhi Bazaar

It’s not just the shops and buildings, the charm of Gandhi Bazaar is the footpath vendors. Do you want a small trinket or some flowers? Look no further than the footpath. You can find anything and everything there.

However, this charm could be gone very soon as the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) and the Department of Urban Land Transport (DULT) have quietly begun work in the area to make it more pedestrian-friendly.

DULT has begun work to make it more pedestrian-friendly

The project is named ‘Manasu Gandhi Bazaar’, and footpaths in the area are being dug up, pipes are being installed, and white topping is in progress. As there is no space on the footpath for people to walk, they have been asked to use the road, and the traffic has been redirected to DVG Road and Bugle Rock Road.

The move has pushed about 190 vendors quite literally to the street (no pun intended) from the footpath, and their livelihoods are at stake. Worse, locals are only given a certain time to shop in the area, further straining the businesses of the footpath vendors.

Street vendors have voiced their concerns over the development but are helpless. From what it looks like, this development activity could last at least the next six months.

Latha, a street vendor

“We have been doing business on this street for many years. DULT explained their market projects to us, but we did not agree as we wanted to keep this place the way it is. This place has years of heritage and many people have been doing business here for many generations. We only want to do business, but they have put up barricades. We are facing losses from the past many years due to Covid-19, parking problems and online business. They have not made alternative arrangements for us till they complete the project”, said Latha, a street vendor.