Apni mandis set to reopen in Chandigarh

Apni mandis are set to reopen in Chandigarh after a span of nine months.

These farmer markets were shut down to contain spread of Covid-19 in March last year.

The decision to open them was taken during the review meeting chaired by UT administrator VP Singh Badnore on Monday. It came following the Punjab government’s decision to allow apni mandis.

“The mandis will open after Republic Day,” said UT adviser Manoj Parida, while not sharing any specific date.

Welcoming the decision, Vinod Vashisht, convener, City Forum of Residents Welfare Organisations, said: “Opening of apni mandis will prevent overcrowding at the wholesale vegetable market in Sector 26. It will also help more than 1,500 families of vendors and helpers earn their livelihood.”

CTU buses to run at full capacity

In another development, Chandigarh Transport Undertaking (CTU) buses will now be allowed to run at their full seating capacity. The UT transport department has also decided to scale up CTU operations in a phased manner.

The restrictions on the number of passengers were imposed last year to ensure social distancing. Safety measures such as mandatory masks, thermal scanning and sanitisation of buses will remain.

In a notification issued on Monday, the department said that while transport department of adjoining states were operating buses with no restrictions regarding seating capacity in interstate as well as intrastate routes, the limitations, especially on long-route buses, were leading to heavy losses to CTU.