Cotton Market shut down
| Date :30-Mar-2020 |
Deserted: Bustling Mahatma Phule complex of NMC, adjacent to Cotton Market, wears a deserted look. On Sunday, the civic body locked it down to prevent crowding. (Pic by Anil Futane)
Staff Reporter :
With social distancing gone for a toss in most parts of city, Nagpur Municipal Corporation (NMC) has locked down Cotton Market till further notice. After receiving reports about massive crowding in morning hours, Municipal Commissioner Tukaram Mundhe ordered officials of Market Department to issue closure notice to market. As such civic officials scrambled and ordered vegetable brokers, vendors to cease sales and with help of the cops dispersed the crowd that had gathered in record numbers. Since last few days apart from regular vendors, even citizens made a beeline for Cotton Market to buy in bulk.
Apart from that even many new people have taken to selling vegetables given the huge margin and closure of their regular businesses. This led to massive increase in footfalls at the already crowded market place which violated the guidelines about social distancing. The local market committee supervising Cotton Market failed to take adequate safety of the visitors forcing civic officials to take matters in their hand. Even as market was in full swing NMC officials arrived on the scene and asked trader to suspend the sales as the situation was going out of hand.
On one hand authorities are urging people to stay put at homes and avoid moving out to avoid community transmission of coronavirus, while at Cotton Market the situation was similar to local fair. A visit to market in early morning hours revealed that people were falling over and tipping on toes of others while hauling bags full of vegetables. In retail market the prices of vegetables have gone Northwards and vendors too are stocking up in huge quantities. Citizens disregarding the threat to contracting virus owing to close proximity to each other at vegetable were rushing in even greater number adding to chaos at Cotton Market. As to availability of vegetables, NMC advised brokers and traders not to crowd Cotton Market and instead make full use of vacant streets and sale their produce there.
Civic bosses are keen that instead of centralised sales, the trucks carrying vegetables should move through city selling their produce. This way vendors need not created chaos at one place and also social distancing norms would be followed strictly in the city. Now that Cotton Market is unlikely to reopen till lockdown period it remains to be seen how retailers are able to access vegetables and ensure continuity in their sales in city and on the localities on outskirts.
Mundhe directs farmers to sell vegetables directly to citizens
Municipal Commissioner Tukaram Mundhe has urged the farmers to directly sell vegetables in city as Cotton Market will remain closed till March 31 for carrying out fumigation and disinfectants in the area. Farmers can sell their produce in nearby localities of their villages and other vantage points, he said. NMC has also talked to Agriculture Department to form clusters of farmers and encourage them to provide door step sales of vegetables in various localities during the lockdown. In case farmers want to move door-to-door, they can contact Mahesh Morone, Officiating Deputy Commissioner (Mob. No. 9823330932) and Shrikant Vaidya, Market Superintendent (Mob: 967996332), to get guidance on sale of their produce in city. Further, if farmers provide their mobile numbers they can be shared with citizens who can call them to their place for making purchases.