Heaps of garbage choke market

Vehicles moving bumper to bumper, honking loudly to make way amid the crowds bargaining with fruit, flower and vegetable vendors is a common sight on the busy but narrow market road in Chikkaballapur.  

Spreading their stock of vegetables, fruits, flowers and fish along  the heaps of garbage, the vendors carry out their daily business. Pedestrians, who have lost the footpaths to these vendors, risk their life on the congested road where vehicle users park their vehicles haphazardly. Worse, the road being two-way, the vehicle movement is chaotic with no traffic police to ensure the rules are followed.

Besides, the traffic comes to stand still occasionally when the big vehicles parked on the road to unloading or uploading goods.

Worse, there is no basic facilities in the market, but the traders are not demanding too as they are busy earning their meal for the day. Besides, the area has not seen any development work in the recent past.

The market holds a miniature model for the variety of people from different class as the affluent throng the shops, the poor scouting for the not completely rotten vegetable so that they could be relieved of starvation for a day.

The stretch of the BB Road between M Vishweshwaraiah Circle and the Railway Station has remained a mute witness to the drama of life and its own dilapidation.

The vendors alleged that they were forced to vacate the footpaths, but they don’t have any alternatives.

“They are eager to vacate us, but not concerned to provide us an alternative. We spend our days on the footpaths on all seasons, but none have so far bothered about our plight.”

New market

The traders seems to find a solution in the near future as the City Municipal Council has initiated the process to build a new market complex for which it has vacated an old meat market. Following a decision on the issue at the meeting in the council a few months ago, the work on the project was launched.

“We will be happy to carry out our business in the new market if the work is completed at the earliest.

Even the consumers will be happy to come to market. We hope all of us get a stall in the three-storey building under construction,” vendors said with a smile lingering on their face.