The long-planned multi-level parking project at Bapat Galli is set to be canceled, with the facility now proposed to come up at Khanjar Galli instead.
On Tuesday (September 23), Municipal Commissioner Shubha B., Revenue Deputy Commissioner Reshma Talikoti, Administration Deputy Commissioner Udayakumar Talwar, and Smart City Department officials inspected the Bapat Galli site. The area is part of the city’s master plan for a road, and officials noted that constructing a multi-storey car park there would worsen congestion.
Following this, the team will inspect the Khanjar Galli site on Wednesday (September 24). The location already has a parking structure built in 2016 by the Municipal Corporation, but it has remained largely unused and is reportedly occupied by private operators with complaints of irregularities. The Smart City Department has now approved a new multi-storey parking project for this site, subject to land transfer by the corporation.
The Bapat Galli project, originally sanctioned under the Smart City scheme, was to be a joint parking-cum-commercial complex accommodating 120 cars across five floors, at a cost of ₹6.65 crore. The contract, awarded on a Design, Build, Finance, Operate and Transfer basis to BVG India Ltd., has seen no progress for nearly two years despite Bhoomi Pujan by Belgaum North MLA Raju Seth in 2023.
Interestingly, the project itself was first proposed back in 2006, but repeated ground-breaking ceremonies never translated into construction. Opposition from local residents and traders is believed to be one of the key reasons for the shift away from Bapat Galli.
For now, the existing parking arrangements at Bapat Galli will continue.
Timeline of Bapat Galli Multi-Level Car Parking Project (Belagavi)
- 2006: Initial proposal – The first plan for a multi-level car parking at Bapat Galli was formulated in 2006
- Oct 5, 2012: PPP scheme announced – AllAboutBelgaum reports Belagavi is planning three multi-level parking projects (PPP model), including one at Bapat Galli (estimated ₹3.36 Cr). A feasibility study was done and an EOI (expression of interest) had been floated for Bapat Galliallaboutbelgaum.com.
- May 31, 2014: Alternate site planned – The city announced a new 200-car parking at Laxmi Market (Khanjar Galli). Existing shops at Laxmi Market would be relocated and the space used for parking (pay-and-park model)allaboutbelgaum.com.
- Dec 9, 2015: Khanjar Galli site earmarked – After a disputed tomb at Khanjar Galli was removed, officials announced that the cleared land would be “utilized for constructing multi-level car parking or similar projects”timesofindia.indiatimes.com.
- Jun 15, 2017: Khanjar parking ready (but idle) – In a traffic-management meeting, officials noted that a 200-car parking at Khanjar Galli (built by 2016) was ready but not opened to the public; they promised to operationalize it to ease congestionallaboutbelgaum.com.
- Oct 29, 2017: Project stalls – AllAboutBelgaum reports the Bapat Galli parking project “hit a roadblock again”: Bell Fluid (Mumbai), the contractor awarded the ₹4.7 Cr tender, had not submitted the required bank guarantee. Without it, the work order could not be issued, and the project was effectively on holdallaboutbelgaum.com.
- Nov 17, 2021: Unopened Khanjar garage – A report notes that the Laxmi Market (Khanjar Galli) 200-car parking (ready since 2016) was still not open to public. MLA Anil Benake inspected a vacant 2.5-acre corporation plot at Khanjar Galli, where a Market Police Station (and north traffic police) was later plannedallaboutbelgaum.comallaboutbelgaum.com.
- Mar 2, 2022: Tender floated – Belagavi Smart City Ltd. issued a restricted tender for the Bapat Galli multi-level parking under a DBFOT (PPP) modelallaboutbelgaum.com. (A similar tender was floated for Mahantesh Nagar.)
- Sep 11, 2023: Bhoomi Pujan (groundbreaking) – MLA Asif (Raju) Sait laid the foundation stone for the G+5 (five-storey + ground) multi-level car park at Bapat Galli. The facility will hold 120 carsallaboutbelgaum.com. The contract was awarded to BVG India Ltd., Bangalore; project cost ₹6.65 Cr, completion in 24 monthsallaboutbelgaum.com.
- Jul 3, 2024: Construction delay – AllAboutBelgaum notes that 10 months after the Bhoomi puja, no construction had startedallaboutbelgaum.com. The BSCL had repeatedly reminded the contractor (BVG) to obtain municipal approvals (DPAR), but BVG had shown “no interest in starting the work”allaboutbelgaum.comallaboutbelgaum.com.
- Mar 9, 2025: Local opposition – Residents and traders held a meeting to protest the planned multi-storey parking at Bapat Galliallaboutbelgaum.com. They pointed out that the site had been marked and measured by Smart City and Land Records officials (signaling imminent construction)allaboutbelgaum.com. A petition was planned to urge the DC and Municipal Corporation to reconsider the project. (AllAboutBelgaum notes that the contract was already awarded and MLA Raju Sait had done the bhoomi puja, yet work was still pendingallaboutbelgaum.com.)
- Mid-2025 (ongoing): Site shift to Khanjar Galli – In the wake of protests and delays, officials inspected the unused Khanjar Galli (Laxmi Market) parking site as an alternative. The decision was made to relocate the project there (reusing the idle 200-car garage built in 2016). (AllAboutBelgaum has not yet published a detailed report on this final relocation decision, but previous reports confirm the Khanjar parking remained closedallaboutbelgaum.com.)