Bhubaneswar Municipal Corporation: Unit-IV market shut indefinitely

BHUBANESWAR: The Bhubaneswar Municipal Corporation (BMC) on Sunday sealed the Unit-IV fish and meat market indefinitely after the market was found open and crowded during the weekend shutdown. “In view of mass violation of Covid-appropriate behaviour detected by the BMC enforcement squads at the Unit-IV non-veg market (retail and wholesale) during shutdown, the market will remain closed until further orders,” stated the BMC order.
BMC additional commissioner Laxmikanta Sethi said to contain the spread of Covid, weekend shutdown has been kept in vogue, but the vendors of Unit-IV were not adhering to the restrictions. It is for the benefit of city residents that shutdown is in force. If people violate it, they will face action, he said.
The Unit-IV non-veg market had faced closure twice during the first wave of the pandemic. Then, the vegetable market was massively decentralised with all vendors being asked to put up their vending kiosks along the road designated by the BMC. In the second wave, after cluster spread of virus came to the fore, the BMC again decentralised the vegetable market.
With the capital showing no sign of improvement in terms of decline of daily Covid cases, the city authorities have decided to intensify enforcement activities. With several curbs being lifted and the night curfew hour extended up to 8 pm, the capital city is now witnessing vehicular traffic till late in the night. The capital has been reporting more than 300 cases for little over a month forcing the city authorities to take stringent measures.
In the first wave, the BMC shifted more than 40 small and big markets to roadside and open spaces to ensuring social distancing. This time, however, the markets were shifted very late. Some decentralised markets have been relocated to their original places
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