HUBBALLI: As
Diwali, the festival of light is round the corner, people in the city are busy
shopping, crowding the markets and throwing Covid-19
safety measures to wind.
Declining
Covid cases in Dharwad district in the last one month seemed have encouraged people to roam around without following safety measures. Many shops in
Hubballi-Dharwad are not even bothered to do thermal screening of customers and hand sanitisers are not kept. Customers without masks are also allowed to enter shops and there is no social distance.
Sharada Pawar, a homemaker said, “I went to purchase clothes for my daughter’s wedding and for the festival. I was shocked to find many customers in shops not wearing masks. No sanitiser were kept in shops and no thermal screening was done in many shops. The authorities are mute spectators to gross violation of Covid
norms by many shopkeepers and the public,” she said.
Ashok Bhandari, a cloth merchant in Hubballi, said, “We are following all norms and also not allowing customers to buy clothes if they come without masks to our shop. Only a few customers come wearing masks while many have no fear of Covid. If it is not curbed now, after Diwali, cases may go up,” he said.
Deputy commissioner Nitesh Patil told TOI that the meeting of shopkeepers will be held soon to instruct them to follow norms strictly and will also fine people if they don’t wear masks.
Suresh Itnal, HDMC commissioner said, “It has come to our notice that most of the shops in twin cities are not following any Covid safety norms. As we were busy with the MLC election work since a week, we could not concentrate on this issue. Now, we will start a drive from today to impose fine on shopkeepers for not keeping sanitisers, not doing thermal screening and for allowing customers without masks and we will also impose penalty on people for not wearing masks. We have already collected Rs 16 lakh fine from people for not wearing masks. We will resume the drive again,” he added.