Karnataka Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar made an unannounced visit to the Yeshwanthpur APMC market on Tuesday morning, heard complaints from farmers, workers, porters and traders, and directed officials to act against alleged irregularities in market operations.
During the inspection, Shivakumar watched the auction of onions, potatoes and garlic brought by farmers from northern Karnataka. He questioned farmers about police checks, payment delays and alleged illegal commissions on auctioned produce. Farmers told him that commissions of ₹8 to ₹10 per bag were being collected in markets in Kalaburagi, Bidar and Vijayapura, while farmers said they did not face the same charge at Yeshwanthpur APMC.
The chief minister directed officials to collect information on commission-related lapses across markets and submit a report. He also inspected the weighing of auctioned onions and instructed officials to ensure that farmers were not cheated during weighing. According to the report, he said some traders buy produce at low prices directly from farms and that farmers come to APMC markets expecting transparent weighing and sale procedures.
Farmers and market workers also raised concerns about the proposed relocation of the Yeshwanthpur market to Dasanapura hobli. Women involved in cleaning work at the market asked that the facility remain at its present location, saying that travelling to a distant site would be difficult. Shivakumar said the High Court had directed that the market be shifted by 2028, but indicated that the issue would be examined.
The chief minister also inspected toilets, roadside stalls, small hotels and drinking-water facilities inside the market. He spoke with sanitation workers and had breakfast with labourers at a small hotel on the premises. He said he would ask the minister concerned to visit APMC markets across the state and hear the problems of farmers and traders.
During the visit, farmers from Devar Hipparagi taluk in Belagavi district complained that crop-insurance contributions collected from them had not been deposited with the district central cooperative bank. They showed the chief minister payment receipts, a list of affected farmers and messages stating that their insurance claims had been rejected. One farmer from Challakere in Chitradurga district said he had paid ₹6,500 towards crop insurance but had still been denied compensation.
Shivakumar directed officials to dismiss the secretary of the Hittanahalli Agricultural Cooperative Society, alleging that contributions from 93 farmers had not been deposited with the bank. He also ordered officials to identify similar cases elsewhere in the state and submit details.
Women working in the market told the chief minister that children aged between eight and 10 were being employed in some shops for daily wages of ₹100 to ₹200. After an APMC official said action against child labour was the responsibility of the Labour Department, Shivakumar directed the police to intervene. The report said police subsequently raided several shops and rescued 19 child labourers.
The visit followed a decision taken late on Monday night, according to the report. Shivakumar instructed officials to act on the complaints raised during the inspection and submit reports on market commissions, crop-insurance payments and similar cases across Karnataka.
