BANGALORE: Filth ville! The best term to describe most areas of the Shivajinagar locality. And adding a feather to the cap is a grungy market place, called Nala Vegetable Market Jamate Mohamaddaih. Emulating its name to the fullest, the market place looks no less than a drain with filth and muck scattered everywhere. Blackened mud roads, waste from slaughter houses and stinking garbage piles are some of the problems greeting the visitors. But this is only the first barrier crossed. The inside of the market resembles a sleazy slum with no roads and no hygiene maintained. The hideous market place throws out a clear picture of the authority’s apathy.The Nala Vegetable Market Jamate Mohamaddaih has clearly fallen victim to the hands of the so called people’s representatives.“The market place with terrible stench also has filth scattered everywhere. But despite the pathetic situation, we are left with no other option than to come here, as it is one of the most prominent markets of the area,” said Rizwaan, a shopper.Housing as many as 150 shops, the market place has not always been so. Initially, created over a closed drain, the market area faced problems during rainy season, as the filthy water entered the shops, causing problems to the shop owners as well as the shoppers. Owing to the same, as many as 75 shops over the drain were demolished seven months back.“Our shops were destroyed, as the local corporator wanted the problem to be solved. They said they will provide us with new shops after they sort out the problem which caused the overflow of the drain. But the work has been moving at a very slow pace and we have been left on the road,” said Shakil Mohammad, a shop owner on the stretch.Although the first half of the market is in a better situation with 49 new shops allotted to the shop owners, the rest of the area is craving for attention. “There were 75 shops on the covered drain which have been demolished for good. Those shop owners have taken shelter either under other shops or have make-shift shops which they operate in open,” said Parvez Khan, president, shop-keeper’s association of the market place.And as expected, poor shop-keepers complain about a huge loss in business. “There has been a dip of as much as 75 per cent in our business. People avoid the market place due to the terrible condition it has been left in,” said Shakil, the shop owner.Those whose shops were demolished are in even pathetic state of affairs. They are left with no other option than to rely on a make-shift shop on the narrow stretch with the filthy open drain on one side. “The place stinks terribly and is very unhygienic. Although it has been seven months, but not even five per cent of the work has been completed. We feel sorry for ourselves, staying amidst the filth, but have no other go. Even if they do not give us our shops back, we will have to survive the same way,” said an annoyed shop owner on the condition of anonymity.But despite the dreadful condition of the market place, some mouthed brow-raising statements as well.Parvez Khan, the president of the shop-keeper’s association has no grudge against the people responsible for the mess. On the contrary and very strangely, he went a step ahead and showered all praises on them. “I have no hard feelings towards the local corporator or the contractor. They are helping us out. But the rain has caused the delay,” said Parvez khan, without worrying about the fact that the monsoon hit the city hardly a couple of months back.When City Express spoke with Shakeel Ahmed, the local corporator, he said, ‘‘Some of the shop owners on the same stretch are yet to vacate their shops. They will be moving in next 10 days. Once they leave, we will get started with the work. New shops should up by next Ramzaan, which is hardly 10 months away.’’
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