New APMC yard houses cattle

The newly-constructed APMC yard at Jangamakote in Shidlaghatta in the taluk are hosting activities completely unrelated to the objective of constructing them. They are used as cattle yards and for dumping garbage.

That is because they are left unused following protests from residents living nearby, who did not want their neighbourhood to be flooded by people on the shandy day and vegetable garbage.

As a result, the shandy, to be held at the APMC yard, has been shifted elsewhere.
The yard was constructed under the REF 13th Rural Shandy Improvement Scheme in March, 2010. The yard, inaugurated by the Union Minister of State for Railways K H Muniyappa and former minister V Muniyappa, cost Rs. 10 to construct. Basavapatna Byre Gowda, APMC Director and others contributed to the construction.

In place of shandies

The yard was built at the location of the weekly shandy that used to be held in the Jangamakote on Thursdays.

Farmers from neighbouring villages brought their produce to the shandy thronged by traders from entire district and neighbouring Bangalore Rural district including Vijayapura.
However, due to protests from the residents in the vicinity, the shandy was shifted to Ghatamaranahalli Cross popularly known as Jangamakote Cross in the town.

Refusal

The fair is now being held on Tuesdays instead of Thursdays. The traders, very conveniently, refused to shift to the new yard.

However, the new shandy venue is posing many problems to farmers, traders and commuters.

Unlike the APMC yard that is spacious and has better infrastructure, the fair at Jangamakote Cross is crowded and congested as farmers and traders sell their produce on the road.

As a result the roads are choc-a-bloc with traders and buyers, hindering vehicle traffic on one of the busiest roads in the town.

Rotting vegetables

The real horror for the people and commuters who frequent Jangamakote Circle begins the very next day of the fair. The traffic circle is ridden with heaps of waste and rotting vegetables strewn by farmers and traders.

The situation turns worse during rain, when decomposing vegetables mixed with stagnating water begin stinking and pose serious health risks.

The weekly shandy at Jangamakote should be either shifted to APMC yard or to Mushraf Building in Hosapet in the town as basic amenities cannot be provided at the existing location, says T Anjinappa, member, Kalyanpur Gram Panchayat.