Sarojini Nagar Market in Delhi remains closed to protest SDM order

About 550 shops in addition to 200 stores of the export market are closed in the Sarojini Nagar market area. The closure order was issued by SDM Ankur Prakash Meshram on Sunday.

The traders in Delhi's Sarojini Nagar market kept the shutters of their shops down on Tuesday to protest against a government order that directed closure of the export market. The shops were closed in the main section, Babu market and mini market.

The government order said that 'gross' violation of the Covid-19 norms was found in the Sarojini Nagar market. (Amal KS/HT Photo)

The traders said that their protest may continue on Wednesday, and that a meeting will be held on the issue later in the day.

"We will see till evening if there is any development with respect to opening the export market, else we will continue our protest," Ashok Randhawa, president of Sarojini Nagar Mini Market Association was quoted as saying by news agency PTI.

About 550 shops in addition to 200 stores of the export market are closed in the Sarojini Nagar market area.

The export market was shut on Sunday for "gross" violation of the Covid-19 norms. The order was issued by the sub-divisional magistrate (SDM) Ankur Prakash Meshram who conducted a survey of the area on Saturday.

In a report prepared after the inspection, which was the basis of the closure order, Meshram said that that the market was "extremely crowded with Covid-19 norms being grossly violated and no social distancing being followed at all".

The order further said that market associations were given various directions with regards to overcrowding but these instructions were not followed. It said that though Covid-19 cases have gone down significantly, due caution needs to be maintained.

The Lajpat Nagar, Laxmi Nagar market, Kamla Nagar, Sarojini Nagar and parts of Sadar Bazar were among those shut in recent weeks by the Delhi Disaster Management Authority (DDMA) for violation of Covid-19 norms.

Delhi, meanwhile, recorded 44 new cases of Covid-19 on Tuesday. The infection claimed five more lives in the last 24 hours, as reported by the state government's health department. The total cases in the national capital have reached 14,35,609.