Ludhiana DC rejects arhityas pleas, says sabzi mandi to open only 3 days a week

Rejecting the arhtiyas’ demand of allowing the main wholesale sabzi mandi, situated near the Jalandhar Bypass, to open for six days a week, the three-member committee, formed by deputy commissioner (DC) Pradeep Agrawal, has recommended that the restrictions imposed on the mandi operations should continue till lockdown in the state.

The committee, which has sub-divisional magistrate (SDM, West) Amrinder Singh Malhi, additional deputy commissioner of police-1 (ADCP) Gurpreet Singh Sikand and district mandi officer (DMO) Jaswinder Dhaliwal as members, recommended that passes should not be issued to 700 more customers as demanded by arhtiyas.

“The number of arhtiyas and their staff is around 1,500 and, if 700 more people are allowed to enter the market apart from ward-wise vendors, there will be a huge gathering in the mandi. So, the committee recommended that the mandi should be allowed to operate only for three days a week till the lockdown is lifted,” said Dhaliwal, adding, “No chances should be taken at this time when new cases of Covid-19 continue to come up in the city.”

The recommendations were made during a meeting of the committee held on Friday and the report was submitted to DC Agrawal for taking a decision on the same.

Agrawal said, “As per recommendations of the committee, the present system would continue and mandi operations would be allowed for three days a week only.”

Following complaints of a huge gathering at the sabzi mandi, the administration had, on April 3, restricted the sale of vegetables and fruits in the mandi to three days -- Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday. Only listed suppliers and vendors, who sell vegetables to street vendors in the city’s 95 wards, were issued passes to enter the market.

Ruing losses due to decline in sales, the arhtiyas had demanded that the mandi be opened for six days a week and 700 customers, other than vendors, should be allowed to enter the mandi.

President of the Ludhiana Sabzi Mandi Arhtiya Association Gurkamal Singh had pleaded that arhtiyas had been facing losses as their regular customers were not allowed to enter the market. The vendors, listed with the market committee, purchase vegetables from a few arhtiyas only, as they illegally buy vegetables from other markets situated outside the city, he had said.

Singh had said arhtiyas also faced losses as perishable items rotted in a day. He had also said that they were ready to take all required precautions, if the administration opened the mandi six days a week.