K.R. Market's historic worth has long since been overshadowed by administrative apathy, with dilapidated structures, tonnes of waste left behind each day and an open drain adding to the miseries of traders and visitors alike. With some of the city's oldest commerce hubs, including Russell Market and Johnson Market crying for attention, it's time the government took the protection of heritage structures more seriously. However, the BBMP's plan to upgrade these structures raises another concern: the preservation of our city's heritage. We don't need another sterile shopping mall and attempts to refurbish our heritage structures should preserve their ethos and old-world charm, even as they make them clean and user-friendly.
Krishna Rajendra (K.R.) Market, a thriving commerce hub, now resembles a garbage heap, languishing under continued apathy from authorities. Known locally as City Market, the area has immense value as a heritage site and is one of Bengaluru’s most famous landmarks apart from being home to Asia’s largest flower market. The site is due for a facelift, the first work to be undertaken under the Smart City project although the question here is whether or not its heritage value will be kept intact.
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The flip side to this thriving commerce, coupled with apathy from authorities, is that the market is in total disarray, congested and messy through the day. The market generates nearly 80 tonnes of waste everyday, an amount that doubles during the festive seasons. Much of this is caused by vendors who leave their waste behind as they depart for the day.
Historically, City Market is a distribution centre. The growth of the city and advent of e-commerce, however, says urban expert Ashwin Mahesh, has decentralised distribution systems and more warehouses are located on the outskirts of the city. Cities like London and Paris, he says, have re-imagined their historical marketplaces and converted them into partial shopping centres with a blend of entertainment activities. This is the approach K.R. Market needs too, otherwise it will lose its heritage value, Mahesh suggests.
“The largest flower market in Asia is supposed to perfume the air. However, the garbage situation is so bad that all we smell is the filth,” said Girija, a flower vendor in K.R. Market. “The place stinks all the time because of the open drain nearby and the litter people accumulate. It’s not just about the way the market looks, at the end of the day, our business suffers because of this,” she says.
The new building in K.R. Market was constructed at the cost of '5 crores in 1997, to provide facilities for farmers with modern provisions like elevators, cold storages and drainage systems. However, according to the vendors there, the elevator is never in use and isn’t cleaned either. Raju, a 38-year-old wholesaler says, “I haven’t seen it working so far and traders have to “piggyback their goods”. Even the cold storage room and the garbage systems planned continue to lie behind lock and key. There are many aged farmers and vendors who are unable to use the stairs. Many of them sit on the floor at the foot of the staircase while others struggle to make their way to the top. “I am aged and can’t climb the stairs, so I sit on the ground floor, wherever I find space,” says Rathnamma, 66-year-old flower vendor in the market. She also added that sometimes it's a struggle to find a place to make a proper sale. Despite being the largest market in the city, a means of survival for hundreds of vendors and a source for items for thousands of buyers and retailers, the city market suffers at the hands of authorities' negligence. The Mayor, Sampath Raj said, “I will be visiting the place and suitable action will be taken soon.”
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“It's been over 25 years since this market was white-washed," says Syed Sayeed Uddin, a third-generation trader at Johnson Market. Home to some 70 stalls, nearly all the trader families are dependent on their daily trade here to survive.
Plans to upgrade heritage structures like Johnson Market, Russell Market and K.R. Market have been in the offing for a while, although no work has happened on ground just yet. Johnson Market, which came to the limelight after a wall collapsed, killing two people, continues to look as dilapidated as before. Traders in the market have been demanding that the structure be renovated but the state government just hasn’t shown any interest.
Even though the state government announced that heritage structures Johnson Market, Russell Market and K R Market will be developed, nothing has commenced yet. Johnson Market where a wall collapse killed two is in debilitated condition. Traders in the market demand the structure to be renovated but the state government isn't showing any big interest.
Cities like London and Paris have reimagined their historical marketplaces, converting them into partial shopping centres with a blend of entertainment activities. If this is not followed here, K.R. Market will lose its heritage appeal.
— Ashwin Mahesh, Urban expert
Syed, who runs a provisional store in Johnson Market, says, “My grandfather began his business year, over 60 years ago. The 2016-17 and 2017-18 budgets from the state government have talked about reviving heritage structures like Johnson Market, K.R. Market and Russell Market. All we have heard is a series of announcements but nothing follows these.”
Recalling that the building, which was built during the British era is strong enough, Syed says that the market needs renovation and small repair works to bring it back to life.
I will visit the market and take stock of the situation of the entire market. We have taken up regular clean up works at the market to keep it tidy. The market will be developed as part of the Smart City initiative.
— Sampath Raj, Mayor
The situations at K R Market and Russell Market aren’t any better. Sathya Lazaras, has been in the fruit business since he was a child. “The market was known for its cleanliness in those days but today, it’s so bad that visitors walk by with their noses covered,” he says.
The building itself requires attention; it has sprung many leaks and cracks have begun to appear in the walls. “The government should wake up and bring in experts to renovate the place, so I can show my children this heritage structure with pride,” he smiles, adding that these walls hold volumes of history within them.
Rs 3 crore was earmarked for the renovation and maintenance of markets even in the latest BBMP budget. “What, then, are officials waiting for? The next budget so they can make one more announcement?” asks Mohammad Aziz, a dry-fruit merchant at Russell Market.
