Covid-19 safety norms continued to be ignored at market in Hadapsar-Mundhwa ward

According to the PMC’s ward-wise data, Hadapsar-Mundhwa ward has reported as many as 16,171 Covid-19 cases as of November 4, which makes it the most affected ward

In spite of Pune Municipal Corporation’s (PMC’s) repeated appeals to comply with the Covid-19 safety norms, people continued to throng the Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru Market vegetable market in the Hadapsar-Mundhwa ward without following protocols.

A vendor without wearing a face mask at a stall at Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru Market vegetable market in Hadapsar-Mundhwa, on Saturday. Both vegetable sellers and customers were also seen flouting social distancing norms. (Shankar Narayan/HT PHOTO)

According to the PMC’s ward-wise data, Hadapsar-Mundhwa ward has reported as many as 16,171 Covid-19 cases as of November 4, which makes it the most affected ward. The doubling rate of the ward is 315.15 days and the ward has been reporting the maximum number of cases in 24 hours for over a month.

Many people including vendors and buyers come for grocery shopping are seen ignoring the hygiene norms put in place by the administration.

Yogesh Sasane, Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) corporator from the area, said, “Despite repeated attempts, the vendors refuse to wear masks. It is a problem. PMC is also conducting multiple drives and penalising the vendors, but to no effect.”

The ward office, on Friday, has collected a fine of Rs 15,200 from 85 people for not wearing masks. The civic body also conducted a community rapid antigen testing for all the vendors, about 700 people, in which not even a single vendor had tested positive.

Somnath Bankar, assistant municipal commissioner of the ward, said, “We have conducted drives to penalise vendors if found not wearing face masks. We have also deployed our officials at that market to ensure that the vendors follow the norms.”

The market is often visited by thousands on a daily basis with people purchasing vegetables and fish. The market is also visited by traders from the nearby farms and Agricultural Produce Market Committee (APMC) who sell their produce to the vendors. Vendors are often seen not wearing masks and coughing and sneezing. The market is located just 100 metres away from the Hadapsar-Mundhwa ward office which is responsible for implementing the norms.

The district administration in its strategy paper has described vegetable vendors and market places as ‘super spreaders’ who would play a crucial role in controlling the possible ‘second wave’ of Covid-19 with people ignoring social distancing and even wearing masks in public places and administration may find it a challenge to control the number of cases in this ward.