Cotton Market closed again as NMC’s norms irk vendors

Nagpur: City’s wholesale vegetable market — Cotton Market — resumed its business after 50 days of lockdown on Tuesday. Within hours, the wholesale vendors associated with Mahatma Phule Sabji va Fal Adatiya Association closed the market expressing anguish over Nagpur Municipal Corporation’s decision to allow only 40 vendors to do business in a day.
“There are more than 300 vendors and allowing a mere 40 per day means a vendor will do business once a week,” said association’s secretary Ram Mahajan.
Hence, the association members have decided not to open the market until lockdown is in force, said Mahajan.
On Tuesday morning TOI visited the market and found the NMC’s lockdown rules were brazenly violated. The market was abuzz with activity of both sellers and buyers. At least 2,000 people including vendors, vegetable growers visited the market, said Mahajan, adding it is not possible to maintain the Covid distancing norms in wholesale vegetable markets like Phule Market. “The situation of vegetable markets across the country is not different,” he justified.
The NMC had shut the market on March 30 due to non-compliance of norms laid down to contain the spread of coronavirus in the city. The association then opposed the move and apart from submitting a memorandum to municipal commissioner Tukaram Mundhe, their delegation also met additional commissioner Ram Joshi.
“However, the NMC denied permission to restart the market after which we met mayor Sandip Joshi,” said Mahajan.
Even Joshi’s order to Mundhe to restart the market was not obliged by the administration.
On May 17, the NMC issued an order to restart the wholesale vegetable market with some riders including Covid distancing, wearing masks and opening shops on rotational basis. According to vendors, vegetable business is a daily trade. “If one does not open shop daily, one will not only lose vegetable growers but buyers too,” said Mahajan.
“With over 300 vendors in the market, it would not be possible to do business with the diktat issued by the civic body,” said Mahajan.
According to Mahajan, the wholesale traders have decided not to open shops during lockdown. “We will open the shops only when lockdown is lifted,” he said.
A senior official from NMC’s market department said the administration won’t allow any violations of lockdown rules laid to contain spread of Covid-19.