Administration to streamline safety steps at main mandi, but arhtiyas unconvinced

RAHUL TAWAR | TNN | Updated: Apr 22, 2020, 10:29 IST

LUDHIANA: After hearing that the deceased ACP had come in close contact with several arhtiyas of the main fruit and vegetable market in the city (Jalandhar Bypass) while doing his duty, members of the Marketing Committee have received directions from the local administration to take appropriate measures to streamline the working of about 400 arhtiyas.
The administration has given orders to the Marketing Committee members to prepare a list of valid arhtiyas of the market to find out which places the district mandi officer had visited, along with the ACP.
Apart from that, the district administration will survey all arhtiyas, vendors, and farmers who visit the main vegetable market of the city to ensure the safety of all, besides trying to find out information about the regular visitors.
Officials in the local administration department revealed that since the first week of April, the district mandi officer and ACP North had conducted patrolling several times in the market premises, and visited several arhtiya shops to maintain law and order, but after getting information that both of them had tested positive, a wave of shock ran through the mandi workers and arhtiyas who had spent a large amount of time with them. Several members of the Arhtiya Association had later refused to visit the vegetable market to open their shops for procurement of vegetables, and decided to put themselves in self-quarantine.
Deepak Sharma, secretary of District Marketing Committee for vegetables, informed, “We will initiate all necessary work to ensure the smooth functioning of the vegetable market, and the first step in this direction is to commence rapid sample tests of all the visitors frequenting the mandi.”
Meanwhile, the chief medical officer (CMO) of Ludhiana district, Rajesh Kumar Bagga, said, “We will follow all directions given by the district administration to ensure the safety of everyone. Rapid sample tests of all visitors will be done on priority, and for that, the health department has done the necessary arrangements.”
However, the representatives of associations are still apprehensive about the effectiveness of the drive. Gurkamal Singh, president of New Sabzi Mandi Arhtiya Association, said, “Earlier, members of the District Market Committee had not listened to our demand of appointing a specific health team to conduct thermal scanning and sanitisation of all visitors before entering the market premises, and now, they have suddenly woken up and decided to do rapid testing of all members in quick sessions.”
Another member of the association said, “The local administration has taken the decision of doing rapid sample testing of all visitors in vegetable market, but it is not possible because most of the time, several unauthorised vendors enter the market by scaling a wall from the rear side. At present, it is not safe to visit the vegetable market for any purpose, because thousands of visitors go there without proper safety measures.”