The weekly shandy ground situated in Chikkamagaluru has been languishing without proper amenities. Owing to lack of maintenance, the shandy ground is filled with filth, and merchants and customers face inconvenience.
The ground is situated between Market Road and K M Road in Chikkamagluru. Heaps of uncleared vegetable waste, defunct lights, silt-filled drains, liquor bottles, stray animals, and mosquito menace have been bothering the visitors.
The shandy is held on every Wednesday and attracts a large number of buyers and sellers. The complete lack of maintenance poses difficulty to buyers and sellers.
Although civic authorities levy tax on the merchants, they have not bothered to provide basic amenities, said merchants.
In spite of having toilets, many attend nature’s call in the open and make the entire area reek.
The shandy ground has also become a den of illegal activities. Liquor bottles and cigarette buts are thrown all over the ground. According to local residents, a few miscreants are engaged in consuming ganja during night hours.
Without the compound wall, the stray animals are found loitering all over the ground.
Cattle dug is also not cleared regularly. Some of the stalls in the shandy ground are in a deplorable condition and have been housing bandicoots, rats, snakes and other worms. Some of the walls of the stalls have developed cracks. The shandy ground turns into slush during the monsoon. As a majority of the stalls do not have a roof, the merchants have been using tarpaulin to protect themselves from sun and rain.
Fish merchant Harshad said, “There are no proper water facilities in the shandy ground. The mosquito menace makes things worse. The sheds are in deplorable condition. Weeds have grown all over. A separate arrangement should be made for selling meat.”
Customer Tara Seetharam said, “The slushy path leading to the shandy ground inconveniences the visitors. The road should be repaired and parking facilities should be developed.”
CMC Commissioner K Parameshi said, “The garbage is cleared on every Tuesday and Thursday from the shandy ground. Priority has been given for the cleanliness of the shandy ground.”
Minor repairs in the stalls should be taken up by the owner. If there are any major repairs, then it can be brought to the notice of the CMC, he added.