kr puram: free market economy

KR Puram traffic police are struggling to manage the movement of vehicles in and around the KR Puram Market area, especially during the wee hours.

Vehicles carrying vegetables, fruits and flowers to Bangalore from neighboring districts are now parked on the road. The crew would be seen unloading the

produce and move it to the market area impeding circulation, naturally resulting in a bottleneck.

A senior police officer said the traffic buzz started as early as midnight as vehicles from neighboring districts and states arrived with vegetables, fruits and flowers. Previously, most of these utility vehicles were seen parked on a large vacant lot, owned by the Department of Education, adjacent to the market.

Until recently, a large proportion of vehicles drove to the vacant site for parking and unloading goods. The Department of Education has recently put in place construction sheets surrounding the boundaries of the aforementioned site, as they are to construct a Guru Bhavan (teachers’ room) and several classrooms. From now on, the vehicles arriving at the market have no other place than the main road to park and unload the products. Hundreds of utility vehicles and two-wheelers frequent the market daily. Most of them use vacant lots for parking. They come out as soon as the goods are unloaded and allow other vehicles to enter.

Sadiq, owner of a cargo vehicle, told Bangalore Mirror that he and his friends run vegetable shops in and around Mahadevapura and are regular visitors to the KR Puram market. “We are often stuck in traffic jams from 4:00 a.m. until 6:00 a.m. when we wouldn’t even have bought our vegetables and greens. The main road about 100 to 200 meters near the market that leads in Hoskote would be congested with vehicles. There are so many people who depend on market activities in the early hours of the morning. They too are stuck in the traffic build-up caused by good vehicles that are parked on the road, unable to move. reach their destination on time,” said Sadiq.

KR Puram traffic police are obliged to deploy at least four to six people who would be busy managing traffic both during the night shift and early morning. There is a temple located near the market which attracts a large gathering. On auspicious days, vehicles coming to both the market and the temple would make the traffic police tired of dealing with a dense movement of vehicles moving at a snail’s pace down the stretch.

The KR Puram Market Employees’ Union complained about the issue to the traffic police and city government, but to no avail.

Deputy Traffic Police Commissioner (Eastern Division) shantharaju told the Bangalore Mirror that the law enforcement wing is in talks with the market group leaders and is in the process of identifying a place to park the vehicles loaded with produce and unload it. “From now on, KR Puram traffic police are deployed in larger numbers than usual to ensure the free flow of traffic,” he said.