In a bid to curb the spread of coronavirus in the APMC market, Navi Mumbai mayor Jaywant Sutar has urged the state government to shut agricultural produce market committee market in Vashi. This comes after the total number of cases in the region touched 395 on May 7, Thursday.
"When we had detected a few positive cases, we had requested the state government to seal the market but in vain. Now that cases are increasing, we have put in a request again," Jaywant Sutar told LiveMint.
Sutar stated that the rise in the number of positive cases has already severely affected supplies and due to the outbreak, there is fear among traders and buyers. Currently, food grains are the only items that are supplied to retail markets via APMC whereas the state has allowed for direct supply of vegetables and fruits from farms to retailers.
Director of APMC, Nilesh Veers said that the state government has not given any orders yet to shut the market. He added that the government has asked them to keep the APMC market open with whatever staff strength they have. According to Veera, the shutdown decision could spark a panic.
He added that since there are concerns about safety due to the epidemic, the market is functioning with even smaller strength.
Veera also pointed out that there was a state of panic initially after family members of some of the traders tested positive.
"But we have taken all the necessary steps to prevent and control spreading of COVID-19 from APMC in Navi Mumbai. We are taking orders from traders over the phone and we have stopped selling goods on credit as was the case earlier," he told LiveMint.
As the number of containment zones has increased in Mumbai and the MMR, the demand from traders has subdued. Several shops have already been shut and work hours also have been reduced for people at Vashi APMC.
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