Deccan Chronicle            13.11.2013 

KR Market: Where the BBMP’s garbage plan rots

Bengaluru: The bustling Krishna Rajendra Market is one of the biggest vegetable markets in the city, but the filth and unhygienic conditions make visitors think twice before buying from here. Unauthorised vendors line the road, blocking footpaths; piles of garbage everywhere and the apparent BBMP apathy have turned the historic market into a nightmare.

The market teems with people from all walks of life. On an average day, the market produces 70 tonnes of garbage, mostly vegetable waste, which stinks if not cleared on time. But no one seems to take responsibility for keeping the market clean.

There are over 2,000 vendors in the market who blame BBMP for not maintaining the area, while palike officials point fingers at traders for being careless of their surroundings. The old and filthy market has crumbling infrastructure that has not been repaired in a long time.

Traders occupy every nook and cranny of the marketplace, leaving very little room for buyers to move around. Gauriy­appa Y., a vendor, said, “The place has no proper drainage system and lacks cleanliness.

During monsoon, pavements are flooded and people can’t walk around. We have complained to the health department several times, but there has been no corrective action.” Vendors say there are no designated pits to dump the waste so waste is strewn all over the pavements.

The basic problem with KR Market is that majority of the shops have been rented out, so traders feel no sense of ownership. “Shops have been sublet and the BBMP does not have any database of the original tenants.

The shops have been given out on low rents, but tenants have sublet them for higher amounts. The palike gets only nominal returns and vendors, who are enjoy low rates, should take up the cause and clean the market,” argued Ashwin Mahesh, urban expert.

Vendors say they are ready for any BBMP initiative, but express a general mistrust towards the palike and its officials. “We will cooperate, but, first they should solve the problems. The BBMP claims it spends Rs 30 lakh every month to clear garbage from the market. But does it monitor the cleaning process?

The garbage clearance is irregular, probably because the pourakarmikas are not paid salaries regularly. BBMP officials, who have all the power to take action against garbage contractors, have not pulled them up for not cleaning the market,” said G.M. Divakar, president of the Bangalore Flower Merchants’ Association.