Rs 80-crore parking complex at Yeshwantpur APMC in Bengaluru gathers dust before opening | Bengaluru News

The parking facility in Yeshwantpur now hosts cobwebs, rusting railings and walls that show signs of water seepage

BENGALURU: A Rs 80-crore multi-level parking complex built to ease congestion in Yeshwantpur APMC market is slowly deteriorating even before it got its first customer.The eight-storey structure plus two floors underground, handed over to APMC committee in early 2024, today stands locked and largely unused.A visit by TOI to the facility revealed layers of dust covering floors and parking bays, cobwebs hanging from walls and corners, rusting railings, water seepage marks across ceilings and walls, and paint peeling off at several locations.Damp patches and signs of neglect are visible across multiple levels of the building.The deterioration comes even as authorities continue to struggle to find an operator for the facility.

“We called tenders almost four times and no one participated. Even before floating tenders, we held pre-bid meetings to understand concerns and repeatedly modified conditions based on feedback. We recently held another meeting and further relaxed the conditions,” said an engineer from APMC committee overseeing the project.According to the official, the primary concern raised by prospective bidders has been the revenue model.Operators are currently expected to pay nearly Rs 18.5 lakh per month to the committee as rent.“It is learnt that most bidders feel the rent is too high and that they will not generate enough business to sustain operations. That remains the biggest hurdle,” the official said.The repeated failure to attract bidders has left a key public infrastructure project in limbo, despite severe parking challenges within the market.Vehicles are routinely parked along internal roads, reducing carriageway space and contributing to congestion, especially during peak trading hours.Traders say the situation has become increasingly frustrating.“This building is a complete waste. It’s taxpayers’ money lying idle,” said Vijay Kumar, a rice trader at Yeshwantpur.“Most customers stop for a few minutes, pick up their goods and leave. They are unlikely to use a paid parking facility. Earlier, trucks at least used this space. Now a huge structure has come up and it is lying with no purpose.”

Another trader, Rohit (name changed), believes the facility can succeed if accompanied by stricter enforcement.“Parking is one of the biggest reasons for traffic congestion inside the market. Vehicles are parked on both sides of the roads while loading and unloading happens. Even traders often park elsewhere and walk to their shops. If authorities strictly regulate roadside parking, people will definitely use this facility,” he said.Officials admitted that dust has accumulated inside the structure: “Dust is not being cleaned regularly because it accumulates again very quickly. Once the facility is operational, the entire building will be cleaned and maintenance work will be carried out.”The committee promised that strict parking enforcement measures will be introduced across the market once the facility becomes operational.Officials believe directing visitors and traders to the parking complex could significantly reduce indiscriminate parking and improve traffic flow within the yard.