Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) acts on unauthorised vendors for violating social distancing

Pune: Unauthorised fruits and vegetable vendors have mushroomed in the city during the coronavirus lockdown. The Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) has started taking action on them. The anti-encroachment department has found that suddenly the number of vendors has increased. They are selling vegetables and fruits on the roadside as well as on handcarts, tempos, which are inviting crowds.

PMC anti-encroachment department head Madhav Jagtap said, “PMC has made arrangements to provide citizens with vegetables at reasonable rates at over 100 places across the city. PMC and Agriculture Produce Marketing Committee (APMC)-approved vendors are ready to home-deliver vegetables. PMC has also started a helpline number to register complaints regarding the quality, service and rates of these vendors. Till date, the municipal corporation has received very few complaints. It means people are getting good service.”

He said, “Despite all these arrangements, unauthorised vendors are selling vegetables in different parts of the city on handcraft, tempos. People are gathering around these stalls and tempos to purchase vegetables. Even some Kirana stores are selling vegetables, which are also crowded. So we have started taking action on such stalls, handcarts and Kirana stores by seizing material.”

The anti-encroachment department has issued instructions to all 15 ward offices to take action on unauthorised vendors, who are not maintaining social distancing. For the past two days, the department took action on over 100 unlicensed vendors and seized material.