2 days after Delhi’s Azadpur trader’s death, 300 shops shut

All closed shops were located in the D block of the market – the one where the dead trader’s fruits and vegetables shop is located.

Nearly 300 registered shops in Azadpur agriculture produce market in Delhi remained closed on Thursday with the traders demanding authorities to scale up coronavirus tests in the market premises, amid concerns over the death of a vegetable dealer this week who tested Covid-19 positive.

A worker disinfects sacks of vegetables at Azadpur Mandi on Thursday. (Sanchit Khanna/HT PHOTO)

All closed shops were located in the D block of the market – the one where the dead trader’s fruits and vegetables shop is located. While two new cases had surfaced in the market on Wednesday, the daughter of a trader associated with the Mandi tested positive on Thursday.

“The daughter of a trader tested positive. The entire family and other contacts will soon be traced and tested,” said Deepak Shinde, district magistrate (north).

Senior officials of the health department said that they have no evidence to explore if the cases are interlinked but they did not dismiss the possibility either so far. The cases have sparked concerns among the traders, with some demanding that portions of the huge market be temporarily shifted to nearby areas.

The test results of the 15 employees at the shop are still awaited, Shinde said.

FEAR AMONG TRADERS

Anil Malhotra, a trader in D-Block and an elected member of the committee that manages the Azadpur market, said: “The D block of the market was closed today. It has 292 shops. Traders are scared. All of them have demanded that the government should scale up testing of people in the market. Groups have also demanded ₹1 crore ex-gratia for the family the traders, if they die of Covid-19.”

The Azadpur agriculture market is considered the food supply lifeline of the national capital. Spread over an area of around 101 acres, the market has around 2,800 registered dealers and employs around 12,000 people in a wide range of jobs -- porters, helpers, loaders, and accountants. On any normal day, it witnesses a footfall of more than 100,000 and the arrival of at least 3,000 trucks of fruits and vegetables.

Adil Khan, chairperson of the Azadpur agriculture market committee, said: “Yes, several shops were closed but a larger part of the market continues to operate 24x7 and trade has increased manifold compared to the average of the previous week.”

The decision to operate the market round-the-clock was announced by cabinet minister Gopal Rai, who also heads Delhi’s agriculture department, earlier this week in the light of farmer distress and supply crunch which had led to increase in retail prices of several fruits and vegetables last week amid the nationwide lockdown. Till last week, the market was operating on an odd-even basis, with traders in odd and even-numbered sheds opening their shops on alternate days.

Khan further said: “Currently, the government is not in a position to test every trader and employee in the market. It is impractical. People must understand the basics. They should maintain hygiene, adhere to social distancing norms, look out for symptoms and quarantine themselves, if needed. Tests are for symptomatic individuals. There are clear guidelines on that.”