Covid-19: Visitors to Ludhiana’s main vegetable market ignoring precautions

People often seen without masks and violating the social distancing norm in the market

Despite coronavirus cases on the rise in the district, people are, surprisingly, not bothering to observe precautions at public places.

A heavy rush of visitors was witnessed at the main vegetable market in Ludhiana on Monday. (GURPREET SINGH/HT)

Visitors to the main vegetable market, situated near the Jalandhar Bypass, which was allowed to open for six days a week on June 15 -- Monday to Saturday on the demand of arhtiyas -- are often seen without masks and violating the social distancing norm in the market.

Despite tall claims of the administration, the market committee and the police have failed to keep a check on the illegal entry of street vendors to the mandi and they could be seen entering the mandi by scaling the boundary walls as well.

The committee has allowed only the listed vendors, who supply vegetables and fruits to street vendors in every ward of the city, to enter the market.

An arhtiya, requesting anonymity, said, “We had demanded mandi operations for six days a week due to the losses we were facing. The market committee has allowed only around 150 listed vendors to enter the market. The arhtiyas, however, also call their unauthorised customers, including street vendors, to the market and they enter the market through different ways, which results in a rush of visitors.”

District mandi officer (DMO) Jaswinder Dhaliwal said, “The market committee staff and the police are taking action against the visitors violating the social distancing norm and not wearing masks. We are also planning to shift the retail vendors, who install their vends inside the mandi, to another site to avoid rush in the market.”