”I have come to K R Market many times as a customer. I have thrown waste like fruit peels in the middle of the market. But today, I came here to clean the market. It makes a big difference and gives a great feeling,” Appaji, a fifth semester BCA student from Sri Krishna International Education Society (SKIES) said. Appaji is one among thousands of students from SKIES along with their lecturers, who helped the BBMP in cleaning K R Market on Monday.

Normally at 11 am on Mondays, the market always has a dirty look. But this time, it was much cleaner.

Vikram, a second year PUC student, said it was an unforgettable experience. “We did all types of cleaning in the market, from sweeping to filling waste in garbage trucks,” he said. 

Sindhu, a first year BCom student said that though they missed some of their regular theory classes on Monday morning, she felt that cleaning the market was a worthwhile endeavour. “We learnt practical lessons’,” she added. 

Tejaswini, a first year BBM student, said that it felt good as they got an opportunity to clean their city. “We created awareness among the public too,” she added.

While some vendors were happy about the cleaning, some were skeptical. Lakshmamma, a vegetable vendor, said if the market is kept clean, more number of people will come. “Our business will be good. Nobody cared much for us. But these students asked me about my health. It is a nice feeling. I will try to keep the surroundings clean,” she said.

Satish, another vendor who sells puja items, said, “We should appreciate students for cleaning the market. But, for how many days will BBMP continue this initiative? It is a market and not a mall. When lakhs of people come to visit this place everyday, just by cleaning it for one day will not make much of a difference.”

M Rukmangada Naidu, Chairman, SKIES said it was a different experience for their students.

“Mayor B S Sathyanarayana had approached us, and we were glad to be part of this initiative. In the future, we are ready to join hands with the BBMP in any such social endeavour,” he added. Saraswathi Kambale, Principal of the degree college, said that around 200 lecturers from PU and degree colleges participated.

“Students enjoyed doing the work and also contributed to keep the city clean,” she said. BBMP has started its initiative to clean K R Market every Monday from the last week. Students from APS college had helped the BBMP to clean the market last week.

Mayor B S Sathyanarayana wants to take this drive to clean the market for at least eight weeks and to later clean other markets.