The city’s iconic markets continue to grapple with a persistent challenge of poor sanitation and waste mismanagement. Most of the markets are known to be a mess, strewn with garbage, unhygienic toilets and a nightmare to navigate when it rains.
Despite several drives to clean up the markets, they are back to square one in no time. While vendors blame poor sanitation, irregular garbage collection and neglect of infrastructure; civic officials cite regular clean-up efforts and attribute the recurring waste accumulation to shopkeepers who fail to comply with civic norms like garbage segregation, not to use plastic etc., for the unsanitary conditions.
K.R Market
Krishna Rajendra Market (K.R. Market), one of the oldest and largest markets in Bengaluru, continues to struggle with poor waste management, persistent unsanitary and unhygienic conditions. When The Hindu visited the market recently, the fruit market area, located behind the main complex, had roads littered with uncollected waste, and the situation worsens significantly during rains, turning the already unclean pathways into slippery, unsanitary stretches.
Waste Accumulated at Bazaar Street, at Yeswanthpur in Bengaluru.
An abandoned building behind the fruit and fisheries section of K.R. Market has become an informal dumping site for garbage. This building has also become a site of open defecation.
A vendor, Mohammed Shami, who runs a fruit stall at K.R. Market, expressed his frustration with the inaction by civic authorities: “We have complained to the BBMP four to five times, but no action has been taken. Officials visit once, inspect the area, and then leave without resolving anything. My shop is in front of an abandoned building, and all the waste gets dumped here. Even customers are driven away,” he said.
“The washrooms are cleaned only once a day, which is clearly insufficient. The surrounding area is also poorly maintained, and even the pathway to the washrooms is littered with garbage,” said Sivashekar Subramaniam, a fish vendor.
Ditto other markets
The situation is no different at other markets as well. For instance, at Madiwala Market, where many solid waste management interventions were earlier made, waste continues to accumulate and remains unattended, despite routine cleaning.
Waste dumped inside the Market Stalls, at K.R. Puram, in Bengaluru.
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“Residents throw garbage at night because the waste collection vehicles don’t enter narrow streets. It’s tough to even protect our shops from waste being dumped at night,” said Raghu Kumar, an incense seller.
The situation at K. R. Puram market is worse. As garbage remains unsegregated, uncollected and strewn around in the market, stray cows and dogs roam freely among the stalls. The situation has been so bad that many vendors with stalls in the market have set up stalls outside on the footpath. “The smell is so bad, and since there’s no space away from the filth, I’ve had to set up my stall on the roadside near the market. But BBMP officials come and remove it, saying it’s not allowed. What option do I have?” said Rahmatulla Khan Sahab, a vendor.
Unhygienic conditions near the washrooms at Madiwala market in Bengaluru.
Najma Sheikh said while she used to be a regular customer at Shivajinagar Market, she had not been going there to shop as often as before. “I used to shop here regularly, but the foul smell and the mess, especially during rains, make it unbearable,” she said. BBMP trucks filled with garbage are themselves parked in long lines near the market throughout the day.
The situation at Yeshwanthpur market was no different. After multiple complaints failed to produce any results, vendors themselves pooled in money, invested it and got the stretch cleaned. “The spot where we sell used to be in a very bad condition, but we spent ₹5,000 to ₹6,000 and got it cleaned ourselves. Even after multiple complaints, we didn’t expect anything to improve,” Mukesh Prasanna, a vendor in the area, said.
Civic officials blame vendors
When contacted by The Hindu, multiple civic officials in-charge of cleanliness at these markets in the city vouch that the civic body has been cleaning up the markets everyday, but say the vendors do not segregate waste, scientifically dispose them, use plastic covers violating norms and even customers do not follow civic norms, leading to unsanitary conditions.
“Waste collection and cleaning of the market area is done and even photographic evidence of the same is submitted every day. It is unclear how the waste continues to persist,” said Abhilash M. M., Assistant Executive Engineer, SWM, Shivajinagar. “Cleaning work is being carried out regularly. However, the area tends to become dirty again shortly after it is cleaned. Shopkeepers continue to use plastic despite restrictions and contribute to the waste,” said Shashikala, Assistant Executive Engineer, South Zone, under which K. R. Market lies.
Published – July 11, 2025 10:30 pm IST
