JOIN USBBMP may not keep promise on KR Market shops: Ryots
The Bruhat Bangalore Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) is keen to allot designated shops to farmers at the KR Market to sell their produce. But the farming community thinks it could be another “tall promise” the Palike would fail to fulfill.
A meeting between the BBMP’s Standing Committee on Market and representatives of the Karnataka Rajya Raitha Sangha was held here on Wednesday to discuss the matter.
The committee members assured the Sangha’s representatives of allotting designated shops to farmers to sell fruits, vegetables, etc, on the KR Market premises.
Although the outcome of the meeting was inconclusive, another meeting has been scheduled with Bangalore District In-charge Minister Ramalinga Reddy on Thursday.
Kodihalli Chandrashekhar, president of the Karnataka Rajya Raitha Sangha, who represented the farmers, said that the BBMP often made big promises, but never kept them. The BBMP elections are due in 2015 and this was one of the main reasons why the corporators were showing interest in rehabilitating the KR Market.
“Previously, similar promises were made by the Palike, when the guava growers had agitated as plans were afoot to evict them. The BBMP had then assured the guava growers that they would be allotted a separate place, but nothing had materialised till date. And now, the Palike was targeting the farmers into coriander business, which is the biggest wholesale market in South India,” Chandrashekhar explained.
“The problem was that there was no absolute transparency while allotting shops to the farmers and space also seems to be a great constraint. If the farmers agree for designated shops, there are chances that the corporators and BBMP officials will sell them to rich farmers for a higher price denying the poor of their right to sell their commodities in the market. At the meeting with the minister, we will discuss the matter in length,” he added.
BBMP Market committee member B R Nanjundappa said that the Palike had been making several attempts to keep the KR Market clean by streamlining the shop allotments.
“Many farmers who come to the market to sell their commodities place them on the ground in unhygienic conditions. We want to allot shops for such farmers. The Palike wants to get rid of vehicle parking and sale of vegetables on the market premises as it was obstructing vehicular movement,” he added.