Mysuru: Heaps of rotten fruits left uncleared at the premises of old RMC on Bamboo Bazar Road in city, poses a threat of spreading epidemic, with the intermittent rainfall in the wake of advanced south west monsoon set to aggravate the situation further.

The market having over 150 stalls mainly dealing with wholesale fruit business, has turned into a stinking spot, due to the complete failure in disposing the waste, rotten and leftover fruits, in a totally scientific manner.

Despite submitting umpteen memoranda to the authorities concerned, there is no reprieve yet, with the officials and contractors being nonchalant, showing no sign of responding to the grievance.

Most of the market yard is replete with overflowing UGD water and heaps of rotten fruits, making it difficult for the vendors and customers alike to hold their nostrils for five to 10 minutes, said a merchant, who expressed his regret, adding there is no escape from this decrepit condition.

The inexplicable situation is mainly attributed to the lack of clarity on actual contractor, with one who is believed to have secured the contract for disposing the waste, passing the buck on other two contractors, whenever a request is made to attend to the complaint, rued some of the  stall owners.

Strangely, the whole market premises reeks of pungent smell, but the officers are sitting pretty confining themselves to their chamber, leaving the merchants, the stakeholders of Old RMC to suffer to no end.

It is natural that, the wholesale market produces heaps of waste, but a mechanism for timely disposal of waste should be put in place effectively. In the case of Old RMC, even after two to three days, there is no sign of clearing the waste. The old tractors that are meant to be condemned and sent to scrap yards are being deployed to load the waste. They frequently break down, forcing the merchants at the market to conduct business amidst putrefied smell and waste daily.

—An aggrieved merchant

Open drain invites danger

The slab of a big drainage that passes through the heart of Old RMC has been removed inviting danger. The sewage water that flows from Railway Station side is surmised to be the reason behind the clogging of drainage network, prompting the authorities to remove the slabs to clean the drainage line. Any minute error on the part of two-wheeler riders visiting the market, may land them right in the drainage.