Trader Dies Due To Covid-19 But Crowd Swells In Azadpur Mandi, Asia's Biggest Wholesale Market
On Wednesday morning, for the second straight day the Azadpur wholesale fruit and vegetable market (mandi) saw huge crowds of buyers, sellers and vehicles with zero regards to social distancing norms.?
The Delhi Government had on Monday decided to allow the largest fruit and vegetable market in Asia to function from 6 am to 10 pm and truck movement will be allowed in and out of the market will be allowed from 10 pm to 6 am.?
"We have set a new arrangement for Azadpur Mandi. It will remain open for 24 hours. From 6am to 10pm, vegetables and fruits will be sold like earlier. From 10 pm to 6 am, every four hours, the entry of 1,000 people will be allowed," Delhi Minister Gopal Rai on Monday told ANI.?
He said the decision has been taken to help farmers sell their products without any hassle and to minimise the prices of vegetables which have witnessed a hike due to lockdown.?
But there is a growing concern that allowing such huge crowds to gather at one place amid the COVID-19 outbreak could turn out to be a public health crisis.This concern has been aggravated after a vegetable dealer there died of the COVID-19 infection on Tuesday.?
The 57-year-old dealer who was admitted to a private hospital with a fever on Friday died on Tuesday.He tested positive for coronavirus on Sunday. Following his death, two more COVID-19 cases linked to the Azadpur Mandi have surfaced, creating panic.?
After the first COVID-19 death was reported from there a section of the traders at Azadpur Mandi have demanded that the government should shut the mandi for at least a week. "If the mandi is not shut down, then situation similar to Italy will be in Azadpur Mandi that there will be no place for people to bury," a vegetable seller told ANI.?
However, others feel that closing the market for long will have a devastating impact on the farmers across the country who sell their products there. It could also result in a shortage of essential goods in the national capital.?
The Delhi Government had allowed the fruit and vegetable market to function despite saying that there won't be any relaxation on the lockdown restrictions as the number of COVID-19 cases in the national capital are on the riseTill Wednesday morning, Delhi has recorded 2,156 COVID-19 positive cases, out of which 1,498 are still active, 611 have recovered and 47 have died.
