No link between GKVK flower market and KR market relocation: Association

Bengaluru: The proposed flower market at GKVK has no connection with the relocation of KR Market’s flower traders. The facility at GKVK is specifically designed as a cut-flower market catering to national and international trade, and the selected site is highly suitable for the purpose. Construction will be taken up while retaining existing trees, clarified T.M. Aravind, President of the South India Flower Association.

Speaking at a press conference at the Press Club, Aravind said, “A modern flower market is being established on five acres at GKVK. False reports are being circulated that 900 trees will be felled. This is untrue. No trees are being cut. Only small saplings, if necessary, will be transplanted. The project does not cause any harm to the environment. It is being developed keeping in mind the welfare of lakhs of flower growers. Farmers’ long-standing dream is finally becoming a reality.”

He further added that Bengaluru and surrounding regions — Doddaballapur, Anekal, Hoskote, Chikkaballapur, Gauribidanur, and Kolar — lack a permanent flower market despite their large-scale cultivation. “GKVK is strategically ideal with excellent connectivity by rail, road, and air. The government has prepared a Rs100-crore project, of which Rs25 crore has already been released,” he explained.

Highlighting Bengaluru’s global prominence, he said, “The city enjoys a significant place in the world flower market. The GKVK site is one of the best for a cut-flower market. This project is being developed on the lines of an international flower market model, with support from the state government, horticulture department, agricultural university, and APMC.”

He clarified that the South India Flower Association, Exotic Flower Association, Small Growers Association, and Traders Association had together requested land at GKVK. Five acres have been allotted on a lease basis, and another five acres have been requested. “Unfortunately, some vested interests are misleading the government and the public without understanding the facts. The project is environment-friendly and farmer-centric. False propaganda to misguide people must stop immediately,” Aravind stressed, adding that attempts to target GKVK’s Vice-Chancellor were politically motivated and against farmers’ welfare.

Supporting this, Divakar, President of the Loose Flower Merchants’ Association, explained that his association represents jasmine, chrysanthemum, and other loose flower traders, while the GKVK project is focused on cut-flower exports. “We are engaged in supplying flowers across India and abroad. BBMP has directed the closure of the current loose flower market at SP Road. However, we have appealed that eviction should not happen until the GKVK market becomes operational,” he said.