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Vendors seek permission to operate inside sabzi mandi in Ludhiana
The members asked to install over 1,000 vends as these are the only source of income for most of the vendors and many families have been affected due to the lockdown.
Members of New Sabzi Mandi Fadi Association submitted a memorandum to deputy commissioner (DC) Pradeep Agrawal on Wednesday demanding permission to install vends inside the sabzi mandi (main vegetable market) near Jalandhar Bypass.
The members asked to install over 1,000 vends as these are the only source of income for most of the vendors and many families have been affected due to the lockdown.
Vendors Mohan Lal Sachdeva and Ramesh Bathla said, “All shops and markets are now open after the government announced relaxation, but no one is paying heed to the problems being faced by vendors, whose only source of income has been stopped by the administration. Vends have been allowed in other vegetable markets of the state, but not in Ludhiana, due to which we are facing trouble in catering to our daily needs.”
Ruing losses, the arhtiya association has also been demanding that operations should be allowed for six days a week and the vendors should be allowed to operate inside the mandi.
A meeting of fruit arhtiyas was also held on Wednesday. A fruit vendor, Kamal Gumber, said, “The vegetable markets in all other districts are open for six days a week, but the Ludhiana mandi is allowed to operate only for three days. Also, no vendor is allowed to operate in the mandi, which is affecting the sales of arhtiyas. We will be meeting DC Agrawal and cabinet minister Bharat Bhushan Ashu to find a solution.”
On April 3, following the complaints of a huge gathering at the sabzi mandi, the administration had restricted the sale of vegetables and fruits in the mandi to three days -- Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday. Only listed suppliers/vendors, who sell vegetables to street vendors in the city’s 95 wards, were issued passes to enter the market. The vendors were also stopped from installing vends.
Recently, a committee was formed by DC Agrawal to look into the demand of arhtiyas regarding opening the mandi for six days. The committee led by SDM Amrinder Malhi recommended that the mandi should not be allowed to operate for six days till the time lockdown has been announced in the state.
