Vadodara: One of the biggest wholesale markets for food grains and provisions in Hathikhana went into complete shutdown on Wednesday, causing chaos among the retailers, to protest against the Vadodara Municipal Corporation (VMC) teams conducting drive for implementing the face mask and social distancing rule.
The traders demanded that the civic officials tender apology and refund the penalties taken from some shop-owners.
VMC standing committee chairman, Hitendra Patel and former mayor, Sunil Solanki had to rush there and pacify the traders.
“The civic officials walked in the market and began penalizing shop-owners. They accused the traders of not following social distancing norms and and avoiding masks,” said Nimesh Mehta, president, Baroda Grain Market Association (BGMA).
On Tuesday, rumours of lockdown were rife in the city so many citizens flocked the Hathikhana grain market to stock up food grains and other provisions early on Wednesday morning. It wasn’t our fault that so many rushed to the market. We all were going around in the market and urging them to not panic and maintain social distance,” Mehta told TOI.
“Instead of joining us in pacifying people, the VMC teams started behaving rudely with the shop-owners,” he added.
“The teams charged Rs 5,000 that was later reduced to Rs 2,000. We explained them the situation but they were very arrogant and refused to budge. So we closed all the shops in Hathikhana. These shops will open when the VMC officials apologize to the shop-owners and refund the penalty amount,” said Chirag Modi, joint secretary, BGMA.
Hathikhana has 250 shops that sell food grains and other provisions at wholesale rate.
Standing committee chairman Patel said, “I visited assured the traders that they won’t be treated in unfair manner.”