Ghaziabad admin allows weekly markets to open from Monday to Friday

Traders’ bodies have, however, opposed the move saying Covid-19 protocol cannot be followed when more than 1,000 temporary kiosks would function in the market.

District administration in Uttar Pradesh's Ghaziabad has given permission for weekly markets to open from Monday to Friday, till 9pm, officials have said. Issuing a strict warning, additional city magistrate (first) Khalid Anjum said strict legal action would be taken against those found violating Covid-19 norms.

People seen in a weekly market (Representative Image)

However, opposing the move to allow weekly markets to open, the Shastri Nagar Vyapar Mandal handed over a memorandum to the district administration saying Covid-19 protocol cannot be followed when more than 1,000 temporary kiosks would function in the market. Additionally, Ashok Chawla, general secretary of the Mahanagar Vyapar Mandal said, "Even before the outbreak of the pandemic, house owners and shopkeepers raised their concerns against weekly markets as the shopkeepers set up their temporary stores in front of houses."

Chawla further said the administration should allow weekly markets in open spaces such as Ramlila grounds which, he said, would help maintain social distancing.

On the Covid-19 front, both Ghaziabad and the neighbouring Gautam Buddh Nagar district saw less than 10 new Covid-19 cases on June 22, with the number of active cases in the two places also falling below 100, official data showed. While nine fresh infections were detected in Gautam Buddh Nagar, the corresponding number for Ghaziabad was four, with their respective active cases being recorded at 93 and 77.

Also, 38 and seven patients recovered in the two districts, taking cumulative recovered cases to 62,453 and 54,968 respectively, the data showed. The cumulative death toll due to the viral disease, meanwhile, is at 466 in Gautam Buddh Nagar and 461 in Ghaziabad.

(With inputs from PTI