Two of the city’s oldest and busiest markets — K.R. Market in the heart of Bengaluru and Russell Market at Shivajinagar — have reported a drop in business by as much as 50% on account of people avoiding crowded spots following COVID-19 threat. This drop, they said, was recorded even before the government announced that malls, theatres, and pubs would be closed for a week from March 14.
The shops in the markets are deserted. “The number of customers has reduced significantly in the last 10 days. Now, we are lucky if some five or six people come in every day,” said Ambuja, a vegetable vendor at K.R. Market.
Other vendors share similar stories and many expressed concerns over how they will be able to make ends meet if the situation continues for a long time.
Mohammed Idrees Choudhury, general secretary of the Russell Market Traders’ Association, said, “In my 35 years of business, the volume of sales last week was the lowest I’ve seen. Dark days are ahead. Many shops in the market have downed the shutters. Shop owners are not doing enough business to even pay daily wage workers.”
Expressing her concern over the fall in business, Cheluvamma, a vegetable vendor at K.R. Market, said, “Usually, we are able to sell our stock of fresh green vegetables by 10 a.m. Now, even if we sit in the market for the entire day, it’s no longer a guarantee that the stock will be completely sold.”
Fear over cleanliness
The spread of communicable diseases remains a concern for traders and shop owners in these markets. “We have alerted officials over the need to clear garbage multiple times. However, there has been no change on ground. We are concerned about the health of our staff and people who visit the markets,” said G.M. Divakar, president of K.R. Market Flower Merchants’ Association.
Ravikumar Surpur, Special Commissioner (Health), Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP), said, “Since markets play a crucial role in supplying essential commodities, we cannot shut them down. We can take steps, such as conducting awareness drives and educating vendors about sanitation practices. We will start implementing these shortly. Since the situation is still dynamic, we are following the advisories issued by the State Health Department.”