JOIN USKR 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.
“Won't your health get spoiled if you are sitting in 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.