Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and Vijayanagara MLA M Krishnappa on Sunday inaugurated south India's first underground air-conditioned market in Bengaluru. 'Krishnadevaraya Palike Bazaar', built at an expense of Rs 13 crore, is located next to the Vijayanagar metro station and bus stand.
The concept of an underground market is expected to bring the issues of footpath invasion by hawkers and rivalry between licensed traders and others to a permanent rest.
The first of its kind in southern India, the market is 136-metre-long and 11-metre-wide with 79 underground shops. The market is reportedly equipped with sensor-enabled sliding doors, two escalators, and a lift facility. While the market is centrally air-conditioned, 31 shops have their own air-conditioning facility, reports said. Each shop occupies about nine square metres of space. The project was completed by Parichita Constructions, a private firm.
Although the first phase of the Bazaar comprising 40 shops was completed in 2022, the BBMP decided against opening it for the public and went ahead with the construction of the second phase that demanded the blocking of the entrance to the completed area.
Located in west Bengaluru's Vijayanagara, the Bengaluru Palike Bazaar is named after the 16th-century Vijayanagara emperor Krishnadevaraya. It has been designed along the lines of New Delhi's famous Palika Bazaar.
CM Siddaramaiah reportedly hailed the Krishnadevaraya Palike Bazaar as a brainchild of MLA Krishnappa and said that the Karnataka government will look to construct as many underground markets as possible in Bengaluru.
Krishnappa, from his side, reportedly confirmed that he was inspired by Delhi’s Palika Bazaar. to build the air-conditioned market in the constituency.