Basement shop shutdowns: BBMP going ‘slow’ to allow tenants to vacate on their own

After shutting down 70 basement shops on 27th Main Road in Sector 1 and 2 of HSR Layout, the BBMP has decided to go ‘slow’ on the drive. Since closure notices are not going to be given to the basement shops whose space is actually meant for parking, the BBMP was shutting them down without giving the shopkeepers enough time to relocate. While the landlords will suffer loss of future revenue, some tenants will lose their investments on doing up the interiors in addition to the advances they would have given to the landlords.

With over 200 shopkeepers petitioning the BBMP Commissioner, the orders have been given to all the zonal joint commissioners to go slow on the shutdowns. After 27th Main Road, the BBMP has earmarked 24th Main for the shutdowns, sending all the tenants into a tizzy. “I can only relocate next month as the place I want to shift to only becomes vacant then,” said one tenant to Residents Watch. “Until then, the BBMP should give us time to function out of our current location.”

All businesses who are still running in basements are got some breathing time to relocate. Shifting is inevitable, as the BBMP is acting on the Karnataka High Court’s order to remove all businesses functioning from basements meant for parking to ease the congestion on roads.