Traders fear Palike will cite wall collapse to demolish Johnson Market

The fear of losing their livelihood was palpable among traders at Johnson Market near Shoolay Circle on Monday. A wall outside the market collapsed killing an autorickshaw driver and a boy following heavy rain on Sunday evening.

The Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) had been planning to raze the entire market to build a new one but the traders have been resisting the move. The traders now fear that BBMP will now cite Sunday’s accident to raze the nearly century-old structure. The Palike built the wall around 10 years ago on the edge of the road in front of the mutton market to block the sight of animals and poultry being slaughtered.

After the wall collapsed, Palike officials closed down the mutton market ‘till further orders’. As it was raining heavily on Sunday evening, Kareem (45) of Yelagunte took shelter near the wall. Juman Raja (10), who was standing close by, rushed to alert Kareem about the weak wall. The wall collapsed at that instant, killing Kareem on the spot. Raja, who was injured, died in hospital on Monday morning.

“BBMP had done a shoddy job while building the wall. It is not part of the Johnson Market. It is on the road outside. It was leaning dangerously. Our petitions to the BBMP and our public representatives, including corporator Shivakumar and MLA N A Haris, yielded no results. Finally the accident occurred,” said Syed Zaheeruddin, secretary of the Johnson Market Traders’ Association. Traders said they have been doing business in the market for generations. If the structure is demolished, they will be rendered jobless. “BBMP is trying to give an impression that the wall was part of the old Johnson Market so that it can demolish the entire building and build a new one. The old building is still very strong,” said Afroz, a trader.

Another trader Syed said it was a conspiracy by the BBMP to occupy the Johnson Market. “A similar conspiracy was hatched for Russell Market in 2012 when fire gutted a portion of the building. The palike decided to pull down the whole building. Due to protests by traders, it could not proceed,” said Syed.