Shopping streets in Bengaluru unlikely to reopen in phase 1 of Unlock

Bengaluru: As the Karnataka government unlocks next week, major shopping hubs in the city may not be able to resume business due to the road work for the Smart City project which is underway in and around these areas.

A total of 38 roads which include Commercial Street, Brigade Road, Kamaraj Road, Dickenson Road, Infantry Road, Avenue Road and part of BVK Iyengar Road, were dug up in December as part of the development process, but it has left traders stumbling as the progress is slow.

Mayank Rohtagi, president of Commercial Street Association, said, “The government’s unlock plan doesn’t mean anything for traders and customers in shopping hubs like Commercial Street as roads are under construction. Most shops may not open.” The street which has 200 shops with an aggregate turnover of Rs 150 crore, has witnessed the dullest shopping since the pandemic hit the country last year and the same continued this year after the Smart City project began in December. The authorities of Bengaluru Smart City said that the streets would be ready by mid-June but the traders are doubtful about that.

Suhail Yousuf, secretary, Brigades Shops and Establishment Association said that Brigade Road is almost ready but shopping will not resume as approach roads are still dug up.

Yousuf added that 30 of 150 shops have been closed permanently. He also said, “There’s no point in Brigade Road alone getting ready. Customers find it difficult to enter the area with approach roads like Kamaraj Road, Dickenson Road and Infantry Road not ready. It may take over a year to return to normalcy.”

Chief Minister BS Yediyurappa fixed a deadline of July 1 to complete all the road works. Ranganath Naik, chief engineer, Bengaluru Smart City, said, “There are many factors and we can not give an assurance about the completion date.”

On Wednesday, tracers met BBMP chief commissioner, Gaurav Gupta with appeals, including SOPs for shop owners. Sajjan Raj Mehta, spokesperson, Karnataka Hosiery and Garments Association said, “He assured us debris would be removed to facilitate vehicle movement. The government must waive property tax and demand charges on electricity and water for lockdown period.” He stated that 5,000 shops in and around Chickpet are hit hard by pending road work on Avenue Road and part of BVK Iyengar Road.