Vallah fruit market to shut from today

Tribune News Service

Amritsar, April 1

Alarmed by a record number of people visiting the wholesale fruit and vegetable market at Vallah and the fear of probable spread of Covid-19, the Fruit and Vegetable Merchant Union on Wednesday decided to close the mandi for a week beginning April 2. The decision was taken at a union meeting held here on Wednesday.

They said the district administration had permitted them to open mandi from 3 am to 8 am. They said it was not practically possible to reach the mandi in midnight besides there was no availability of labour following the imposition of curfew. The union demanded sanitisation of all vehicles bringing vegetables and fruits in the mandi.

Commission agents and operators were also concerned about their well being as a large number of people started arriving to buy vegetables following the imposition of curfew.

The police warned of strict action against the people venturing out of their houses on the pretext of looking for essential commodities. We are issuing challans and seizing vehicles of curfew violators, the police said.