Deccan Herald 22.10.2013
Mayor threatens to close KR Market for a week
KR Market has never established a reputation
for cleanliness, but when Mayor B S Satyanarayana visited the market on
Monday, he had a stern warning for the traders: Either maintain
cleanliness and follow waste management or face the total closure of the
market for a week.
Outraged at the traders for their
lack of civic sense — despite the many cleaning programmes conducted by
Bruhat Bangalore Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) within the market area for the
last five weeks — Satyanarayana lambasted them for ignoring the
initiatives of volunteers to clean up the area.
“Every Monday,
as a part of the cleaning programme, students from various colleges have
cleaned the area.Yet, the condition of the market remains the same and
traders are not practising waste management,” he said and demanded to
know how the traders could work in such conditions.
the middle of garbage? How will the customers buy vegetables, flowers
and fruits in such conditions,” he asked.
Several traders,
however, blamed pourakarmikas for the problem. One of the traders,
speaking on the condition of anonymity, told Deccan Herald, that, “We
are maintaining cleanliness but the pourakarmikas are not removing
garbage from the market area properly. It is not our fault.”
‘Will file complaint’
The
mayor has promised to file a complaint if the traders continue to
ignore his words. “I want the traders to carry out a cleaning drive here
every Wednesday and I will come to inspect this drive,” he said.
“Students cannot clean the market every week as maintaining hygiene
inside the market premises is the responsibility of the people working
here. The college students have been roped in by the Palike merely to
create awareness among the traders.”
Satyanarayana also
complained that a few traders have been negligent in making regular rent
payments to the Palike. On Monday, students from the Jyoti Institute
of Technology took part in the cleaning programme.
