Space for 200 cars, but no way to access parking lot
Jayanagar shopping complex upper basement has 42 shops; visitors park cars elsewhere
Published: 02nd July 2019 06:28 AM | Last Updated: 02nd July 2019 06:28 AM | A+A A-
Shops that have come up in the upper basement of Jayanagar Shopping Complex. The basement area cannot be used for commercial purposes as per rules. There are two basement floors, which can accommodate hundreds of cars | shriram b n
BENGALURU: When the new commercial complex at Jayanagar 4th Block was built by the Bangalore Development Authority (BDA), the plan included the latest modern amenities including ample parking space on par with parking slots found in malls. However, a few months after the complex was opened, the BDA seems to have realised a mistake which is costing them dear. While there are two floors in the basement, which can accommodate hundreds of cars, a narrow access path to the complex ensures that no car can enter the space. To make matters worse, 42 illegally constructed shops have come up in the upper basement now.
Located next to the iconic Jayanagar Shopping Complex, the new premises houses a two level basement besides the ground floor and six floors above. While both basements are meant for parking, there are around 200 shops in the ground, first, second and third floors. Each shop measures six feet by six feet. The fourth and fifth floors are reserved for a ‘Janata Bazaar’ and the sixth for a private bank.
the basement | shriram b n
According to shop owners, it is the BBMP, the present owners of the building, who are responsible for the 42 illegal shops in the upper basement. “Many shopkeepers from the old complex did not want to move as the shops here are smaller. They wanted larger shops and used their influence to pressure the BBMP officials to turn it into a shopping area,” a shopkeeper said. Interestingly, all these illegal shops in the basement are bigger than the shops in the above floors.
But these shops are plainly illegal according to experts.
“A basement by any definition cannot be used as a commercial space,” said civic evangelist V Ravichandar. “Even if it is not used for parking, it still cannot be commercialised. This is a violation,” he said.
Srikara RN, a regular visitor said that the shops had been located so close to each other in the basement that there was no breathing space. “This could turn deadly in case of any fire mishap,” he said. Meanwhile, the lower basement is also lying unused. Speaking on condition of anonymity, a BBMP official said that the BDA had constructed the building in a way that no cars could enter the basement. “A car cannot travel in the passage. This is how the building was given to the BBMP,” the senior official said. A car cannot be taken in that passage.
