Bengaluru’s KR Market’s underground parking lot set to get Rs 80-lakh revamp | Bengaluru News

Bengaluru: BBMP has invited tenders worth Rs 80 lakh to upgrade the dilapidated underground parking lot at KR Market, marking the start of a long-overdue transformation of one of Bengaluru’s busiest commercial market zones. The underground parking lot, spanning nearly 1 lakh square feet, is currently in a state of neglect, filled with garbage, floods during rain and encroached by abandoned vehicles and autos.The upcoming revamp is part of BBMP’s broader vision to decongest the market, streamline vendor operations and improve pedestrian safety and sanitation in surrounding areas. Suralkar Vikas Kishor, BBMP zonal commissioner (west), told TOI, “The underground parking has completely failed its purpose over the years. The condition is so poor that it’s unusable today. This tender will help us revive the space for proper public utility. The parking space will be upgraded to a modern version with all facilities and maintained.”BBMP has also proposed reorganisation of street vending in and around KR Market, with plans to launch a fresh survey. Over 100 officials will be deployed to assess vending patterns to identify duplicate usage of spaces by vendors through the day. “Currently, the market area is spread through adjacent roads connecting to KR Market. Several vendors do business at different time zones based on the nature of their produce and demand. Also, we don’t know the exact market boundaries,” said Suralkar.Other plansBBMP wants to keep the area clean as the market looks like a dumping yard with garbage piling up everywhere, despite pourakarmikas clearing it multiple times a day. “The idea is to create fixed 5x5ft vending spots that are shift-based, ensuring that only the permitted number of vendors are allowed to trade. We will be marking these spaces and assigning them to specific traders. Each vendor will also be required to maintain a personal dustbin, collect waste and dump it into BBMP vehicles,” Suralkar said. BBMP will be installing 64 CCTV cameras and using geo-fencing to track sanitation responsibilities.Officials are also exploring the possibility of making parts of KR Market area vehicle-free during weekends, similar to Cubbon Park’s traffic-free Sundays. Discussions are under way with traffic police and BBMP’s brass to help improve walkability and safety.As part of the larger market upgrade, the Palike is considering reviving the defunct biogas plant near the flower market to manage wet waste on-site. “Given the volume of perishable waste KR Market generates daily, reactivating the biogas plant could be an effective waste-management solution. However, the current plant is destroyed and a new structure has to be built,” the official added.