Civic work makes a mess of Malleswaram; traders report business losses 

There are also some traffic restrictions imposed, which has made it difficult to access the road 

Popular as one of the oldest shopping hubs in the city, Malleswaram, traders say, has lost over 50% of its business in the last year, thanks to the civic work going on there. Just walking, let alone shopping, has become a strenuous task for over a year now on Sampige Road due to the lack of pedestrian space, encroachment by street vendors, traffic snarls and the dust and dirt. 

On Sampige Road, while Smart City work is going on to provide better footpaths on streetlights, Bangalore Water Supply and Sewerage Board (BWSSB) is also carrying out work on the street. As a result, there is practically no footpath for pedestrians on most stretches of the busy road. The available footpath stretches are also occupied by street vendors, compelling pedestrians to find their way through the traffic. There are also some traffic restrictions imposed, which has made it difficult to access the road. 

Around 450 traders have their shops set up on the popular road, most of them textile and jewellery stores. “Buses do not come here anymore as they take a diversion from Sampige junction. Even most autorickshaws and cabs do not accept rides to come to this road. So how will shoppers come here? This festive season, the traders lost 50–60% of their business. During the pandemic, businesses had taken a great hit and just when it had started to recover afterwards, these civic works started and affected business again”, said Arun Kumar, Secretary, Malleswaram Commercial Traders’ Association. 

Some of the traders also said that while the regular customers still visit their shops, the newer, younger customer base would rather go to the nearby malls when the road is in a bad condition. 

Meanwhile, Ashwath Narayan, Malleswaram MLA, on Thursday said that the major civic works which are going on in the constituency, including white-topping, drainage and drinking water pipes and installation of manholes, will be completed by December.  

M. Nagamani and her husband, who have been residents of Malleswaram for 25 years now, were riding on a two-wheeler near 18 th cross when a pothole caused them to lose balance of the vehicle. “We escaped a major accident by a hair’s breadth. There were vehicles on both sides and if we had fallen down on either side, it would have ended differently,” Ms. Nagamani told The Hindu.