The conduct of the grocery and vegetable outlets at the rythu bazaar here irked the Deputy Chief Minister S.B. Amzath Basha, who conducted a surprise visit to the prime crowding centre in the town on Sunday.
The absence of social distancing to keep the COVID-19 at bay, was conspicuous at the bazaar. He also noticed the stalls moving forward into the public space, thus shrinking the pathway and causing inconvenience to the visiting public. “All you are doing is for your own revenue and personal gain. You don’t seem to understand the implications of the virus,” he fumed at the vendors.
He directed the Municipal Commissioner Lavanna to immediately demolish the space encroached upon by some of the outlets.
While the rythu bazaar is basically meant for farmers to sell their produce directly, he wondered how could a banana ‘mandi’ (wholesale outlet) and grocery retail stores exist there and sought an explanation from the estates officer.