There are seven mandis in the capital.

Staggered timings, coupons, odd-even — these are among measures enforced by the Delhi government to tackle overcrowding and ensure social distancing at the city’s seven wholesale mandis selling vegetables, fruits and food grains.

Delhi Development Minister Gopal Rai made the announcement on Monday after a meeting with officials of the mandis. He said the government has received reports on violations of social distancing at the mandis.

The regulations will also cover Azadpur, Asia’s largest vegetable and fruits mandi. There are four other vegetable and fruit mandis, and two selling food grains located in Ghazipur, Okhla, Najafgarh and Narela.

The government has also put up “full human sanitising tunnels” at the entry to the mandis, where disinfectants are sprayed on people who enter. An official said people are being sprayed with sodium hypochlorite solution.

Retailers across the city source their products from these mandis. Every market will have one nodal officer to supervise enforcement of norms, while members of four task forces will undertake surprise inspections.

Under the odd-even rule, platforms inside the sheds at the mandis will be numbered. The odd-numbered ones will be allowed to operate on dates ending with 1, 3, 5, 7, 9 while the even-numbered ones will be open for business on dates ending with 0, 2, 4, 6, 8. Vegetable vendors at mandis can function between 6-11 am while fruit shops can remain open between 2-6 pm. During these periods, 2,000 traders each, holding coupons, will be allowed to enter the mandis.

Agriculture Produce Marketing Committee chairman Adil Ahmed Khan said traders holding passes issued by the APMC will not require coupons: “Those with e-passes or curfew passes will have to collect tokens.”