Shopkeepers and traders have come to the footpath to sell their wares outside the entrance of the market.
More than 100 daily-wage labourers working in Russell Market went back to their hometowns in Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh, as they are left without work after Saturday’s fire. Meanwhile, shopkeepers and traders have come to the footpath to sell their wares.
Since labourers earn on a daily basis, they don’t receive payments if they don’t work, said Krishne Gowda, owner of Sri Rajarajeshwari Fruits Shop, on Monday.
“The BBMP is claiming that it will reconstruct the building; this will be a long process. These labourers hail from below poverty line (BPL) families and they have returned to their hometowns in search of jobs,” said Ashok Kumar, owner of K Chinnaiah Flower Shop.
Shabbu Ahmed, who sold vegetables in stall number 12, decided to sell vegetables on the footpath near the market entrance. “I used to earn more than `4,000 by 8 am, but for the past two days, I have been earning just `350.” Most of his customers do not know that he is selling vegetables on the footpath, he added.
Another shopkeeper, Nasir, said: “There are very few customers visiting the market. Hence, vendors are selling their produce on the footpath.”
“Hoteliers are my regular customers. I don’t want to lose them to other vendors. I have promised them that vegetables will be supplied to them without fail, hence I decided to set up shop here,” added Nasir. Shardamma, who is a regular customer at the market.
He added, “I used to purchase vegetables from Ahmed. When I reached the market, I found Ahmed selling vegetables on the footpath.”
The final tally of the number of shops gutted in the fire is 174. However, the shopkeepers have reached an understanding over space allocation on the footpath.
“We don’t want to fight over space to sell our produce. If I have set up shop here, nobody will ask me to make way for them. They search for another spot,” said Syed Pasha, a trader.
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