Deluge Disaster: Vendors lose livelihood in Market

Deluge Disaster: Vendors lose livelihood in Market
New Indian Express

BANGALORE: Rains hit the livelihood of the pavement vendors, especially those in the City Market area, like never before.

The City Market is the main feeder of vegetable supply for most parts of the City. It is from here that small vendors and retail vegetable traders pick their stocks, which arrive from Bangalore rural and Kolar districts early in the morning.

The City Market is, nevertheless, teeming with people - with poor nowhere to go. Many poor women pile up vegetables in small quantities and sell during the day to meet their day’s food expenses.

The vast Market area is where they sleep at night. For once, the City Market has turned an unsafe place for them. They attempt to sell some vegetables they collected whenever rains stop for a while.

The City Market is the oldest area of Bangalore, and perhaps, is also the most neglected one, though it facilitates awesome economic activity.

But the roads there have developed into craters. In a way, rainwater has masked City Corporation’s tardy maintenance of roads in the Market area.

Many roads, particularly, the busy SJP Road has been taken over by rains and that is precisely what makes life difficult for vehicle users. Many potholes have sunk so deep that even buses find them difficult to get over.

Less said the better about how cars and two wheelers are surviving these deep pits. During the rains on Tuesday, many vehicles found themselves taking about 30-minutes to reach Pailwan Krishnappa circle near Town Hall from Tipu’s fort.

Rains blocked vehicles, which were seen moving at a snail’s pace.