West Bengal: Lens on violation of Covid protocols in Bidhannagar markets

KOLKATA: Bidhannagar Municipal Corporation (BMC) along with Bidhannagar police have started conducting raids in the markets to check whether Covid safety protocols were being followed or not. Seventeen persons were arrested from Baguiati market on Tuesday and another 23 persons were arrested from the market places of Kestopur and Arjunpur area on Wednesday for flouting the Covid safety protocols.
BMC officials said that the arrests were made for not wearing masks and flouting Covid safety norms. Among them are some sellers and a few customers, along with those who were seen chatting and moving inside and outside the market and coming with bikes without wearing masks. Several others were warned and let go by handing them masks.
Officials said that more such raids in the markets will follow. “It would be surprise visits in the markets to see whether Covid safety protocols like wearing masks, maintaining social distancing are being followed or not,” said BMC board of administrators chairperson Krishna Chakraborty.
Presently there are 16 micro containment zones in BMC area, the highest among all civic body areas in North 24 Parganas district. An average of 10 12 daily new Covid cases are getting reported from BMC area. The civic authorities are worried that the Covid graph is not further declining and maintaining its curb for the last few weeks.
“We have been noticing a tendency among many people to flout the Covid safety protocols like not wearing masks. With an impending warning of a third Covid wave, this is a matter of concern. The markets are the places where many people come and we have decided to conduct this checks in the markets,” said BMC board of administrator member Pranay Kumar Roy.
Roy said that the civic authorities were planning to hold a meeting with the Baguiati market committees as to how the crowd could be controlled in the markets. “It would be discussed if some of the market or market stalls could be kept closed on alternative days to prevent the virus from spreading,” Roy said.
The Bidhannagar police is also conducting naka checks on the roads of Salt Lake and Rajarhat to keep watch on movement of vehicles after 9pm.