Ludhiana traders to meet cabinet minister to press for six-day week mandi
Faced with losses, the arhtiya associations are also contemplating agitation if their concerns are not addressed by the government.
With the district administration not allowing the main vegetable market to operate six days a week, traders’ bodies have decided to take up the matter with cabinet minister Bharat Bhushan Ashu in the coming days.
Faced with losses, the arhtiya associations are also contemplating agitation if their concerns are not addressed by the government.
During a meeting conducted here on Tuesday, fruit mandi arhtiya association general secretary Charanjt Singh Shera said, “Our office-bearers raised the matter before Ashu a few days ago, but we have not received any reply from the minister till now. We have decided to meet him again and if he still fails to provide a solution, the association will chalk out further plan of action.”
Following the complaints of huge gatherings at the vegetable market near Jalandhar bypass, the district administration had on April 3 restricted the sale of vegetables and fruits at the mandi to three days a week – Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday. Only listed suppliers who sell vegetables to street vendors in the city’s 95 wards were issued passes to enter the market.
Besides a six-day week mandi, the traders have also demanded that their customers, other than the vendors, should be allowed to enter the vegetable market.
Working on their demands, the deputy commissioner had formed a three-member committee led by sub-divisional magistrate (West) Amrinder Malhi, but that too recommended not to allow mandi operations for six days a week till the lockdown is in effect.
A market committee official said the administration is already struggling to manage the rush of visitors to the market and it has also failed to stop illegal entry of vendors and customers, resulting in huge gatherings amid the pandemic.