Traders at Madina Market have called on the government to provide proper waste evacuation support after a sanitation exercise, saying the success of the clean-up depends on how refuse and silt removed from drains are handled, while also accusing some shop owners of refusing to take part in the exercise and leaving roadside sellers to do the work.

Although many traders took part in the exercise, some said the lack of designated collection points for waste had made the work more difficult and raised concerns about what happens after the drains are desilted and the market is cleaned.

According to the traders, the long-term success of the sanitation campaign will depend not only on people’s willingness to clean their surroundings, but also on how the waste collected during the exercise is managed afterwards. They said without proper evacuation of the rubbish, the exercise risks becoming ineffective.

Some of the traders also complained about what they described as the low participation of shop owners in the market clean-up. They said women who sell by the roadside often bear the burden of the exercise, while many store owners do not join in.

One market woman, speaking during the clean-up exercise, said roadside traders had for years been left to do the work alone while some shop owners stayed away until business resumed.

“We have never seen the store owners out. They see us as slaves, so when work is being done they do not participate,” she said.

According to her, some shop owners stay at home throughout the clean-up period and only return when it is time to reopen their shops.

“They sit at home whenever it’s cleaning time, and when it’s time to reopen shops or start work, they come and open their shops. As for that, you have to talk to the authorities to do something about that,” she said.

The trader said the situation had remained unchanged for many years, with roadside sellers consistently taking responsibility for cleaning the market area while others looked on without helping.

“We have never worked or cleaned for them to ever participate. They are always standing there waiting for the time to be up so they open their respective shops,” she added.

Expressing frustration over what she described as an unfair pattern, the woman said roadside traders had been carrying out the cleaning work for nearly two decades without support from those operating from stores.

“For 17 years, it’s always us who sell by the roadside who clean. It’s not nice,” she said.